Luxury vehicles worth over Rs 250 mn found

Police say arrest of Dematagoda Ruwan culmination of high-profile probe

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Police say the recent arrest of Ruwan Chamila alias Dematagoda Ruwan is the culmination of a high level investigation undertaken by law enforcement authorities probing threats posed by the underworld to national security.

Police Spokesperson Attorney-at-Law SSP Nihal Thalduwa explained how following a government intervention at the highest level, the police initiated a special investigation targeting money laundering.

“The police discussed this matter even with the banking sector as part of the overall efforts to identify those involved,” the official said, adding that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Ruwan Chamila on Oct 29 following a painstaking investigation.

“Initially, we took into custody several luxury vehicles estimated to be worth at least Rs 180 mn,” SSP Thalduwa said, adding that two other vehicles Rs 20 and Rs 7 mn were recovered later.

Ruwan Chamila is the brother of Siranayaka Pathiranage Chaminda Ravi Jayanath alias Dematagoda Chaminda sentenced to death in 2016 over the killing of one-time PA lawmaker Bharatha Lakshman Premachnadra in Oct 2011.

Dematagoda Chaminda at the time of the incident had been a bodyguard of then lawmaker Duminda Silva, who received a presidential pardon from incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Investigators also took into custody a Land Cruiser estimated to be worth Rs 20 mn from Dematagoda Chaminda’s wife, in addition to a BMW. The police say the woman managed a nightclub in the Borella police area.

According to SSP Thalduwa, since the CID launched investigations into cases of unexplained wealth amassed by various persons properties worth Rs 340 mn had been temporarily taken over pending further investigations.

Responding to another query, SSP Thalduwa said that an arrest made by Indian authorities recently and sharing of information with local law enforcement too facilitated the investigation into activities of Dematagoda Ruwan. The official said that investigators also recovered gold estimated to be worth Rs 22 mn from him.