Sri Lankan Army officer arrested for scribe killing

Arrest of Premananda Udulagama was carried out in connection with the abduction of the driver of the journalist’s car.

An officer of the intelligence unit of the Sri Lanka Army has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the 2009 murder of Lasantha Wickramatunge, editor of The Sunday Leader , an English weekly that was known for its fierce criticism of the previous Rajapaksa regime.

The arrest of the army officer, Premananda Udulagama, was carried out in connection with the abduction of the driver of the journalist’s car. The suspect was produced before a magistrate here on Saturday morning. He was later remanded till July 27

About a month ago, the Sri Lanka Army had announced that its Commander had constituted a Court of Inquiry (COI) to ascertain the whereabouts of documents concerning the murder which were said to have gone missing. The Army spokesperson said the proceedings of the inquiry were under way.