Nuwara Eliya cops goofed and allowed Zahran and others to escape from training camp

By Rathindra Kuruwita

NTJ members, including its leader Zahran Hashim, who had taken part in a Jihadist training programme in Nuwara-Eliya, on May 8, 2018, had gone scot-free as the Nuwara-Eliya Police failed to find any incriminating evidence, the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks has been informed.

The Police had arrived at Thakhila Holiday Inn, where Zahran had his training camp, at around 4 pm, and those undergoing training were still in the premises. The police were alerted in the morning by a resident.

An Officer attached to PCoI police unit, SI Sanjeewa Sampath of CID told the PCoI that a resident had informed former IGP Pujith Jayasundara that a suspicious group was at the guest house.

“Thilakaratne Ilesinghe, a resident who lives close to Thakhila Holiday Inn, where Zahran conducted his training camp, had initially tried to contact Nuwara Eliya Police. But his attempts to contact them had failed, so he called former IGP Pujith Jayasundara,” the Officer said.

The representative from the Attorney General’s (AG) department, who led the evidence, asked the witness how the resident had found the IGP’s contact number. 

The witness said that the resident had noted down the IGP’s contact number from a television programme telecast earlier.

“In the statement, Ilesinghe mentioned that those who stayed in the lodge did not go out unlike others who come to visit Nuwara Eliya,” Sampath told the Commission.

The witness said in the statement Ilesinghe had also mentioned that although he had informed the police of the suspicious group, the police had only come around 4pm in the evening to search the lodge.

“In the statement Ilesinghe said that three police officers came to conduct the search operation in a patrol car, but they were unable to find anything suspicious in the guest house,” SI Sampath said.

Investigation officer also said that during their inquiry they found that Zahran had conducted preachings related to Islamic extremism and his associates had given lectures on weapons training and manufacturing bombs.