Court rules death of Dinesh Schaffter appears to be a crime Ordered the CID to arrest the suspects

• There is a reasonable doubt that Dinesh Schaffter’s death was a result of a criminal act and issued an order directing the CID Director to arrest the perpetrators 

BY Lakmal Sooriyagoda   

While delivering the verdict of the inquest into the death of businessman Dinesh Schaffter, Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya yesterday ruled that the death appeared to be a crime and thereby ordered the CID Director to immediately arrest the suspects involved in the incident and produce them before Courts.  

The Additional Magistrate held that cause of death was due to a compression on the neck and the face. The Additional Magistrate observed that there is a reasonable doubt that the Dinesh Schaffter’s death was a result of a criminal act and issued an order directing the CID Director to arrest the perpetrators.   

The Additional Magistrate announced that she came to this conclusion after taking into consideration the post mortem report compiled by five-member expert medical panel, the evidence transpired before Court during the inquest and court observations.   

The body of businessman Dinesh Shafter was recently exhumed before a panel of medical experts who were appointed to perform a fresh post mortem inquiry.   
On February 27, the Court appointed a five-member-panel of medical experts to perform a fresh post mortem inquiry into the death of businessman Dinesh Shafter, in order to ascertain whether the death was a murder or suicide.   

The five-member-panel comprised Professor Asela Mendis (Chairman) Professor B.C.R. Perera, Professor D.H.S. Fernando and two JMO’s Dr. Siva Subramanium and Dr. B.R. Ruwanpura. They were tasked with performing a fresh inquiry to decide the actual cause of death for businessman Dinesh Shafter.