Eight including CMC Councillor, MP’s son arrested

Eight individuals, including Colombo Municipal Councillor Duminda Sudammika Attygalle and the son of MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage, were arrested by the police in connection with the hit-and-run accident on Sunday morning at Bambalapitiya in which Borella Traffic Police OIC Inspector Sagara Sarathchandra sustained injuries. 

The IP, who was riding a motorcycle, had been knocked down by a Defender (WP FZ—9143) followed by a Prado. The injured was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital. Police said the Defender that fled the scene was later found from a house at Pelawatte in Battaramulla. 

They said five out of eight individuals in the group had travelled in the Defender while the rest in the Prado. It is reported that they had been returning from a party at the time of the accident. 

The driver of the Defender has been identified as Navindu Omesh Rathnayake (27) from Malabe, the son of an SP, while the owner of the Defender has been identified as Visitha Sri Wijesekera (27) from Colombo 3. 

Police said the MP’s son Ranishka Bandara Aluthgamage (26), Sesitha Randeep Gunadasa (28) and Vindya Weerasinghe (27) were among the passengers in the Defender. They said the two passengers Kiran Neesh (23) and Chamara Dabare (28) were in the Prado at the time of the accident. However, the passengers and driver of the Prado have been taken into custody for not reporting the accident. 

Meanwhile, Colombo Municipal Councillor Sudammika Attygalle (28), who drove the Prado, was arrested after he surrendered to the Bambalapitiya Police. The suspects were to be produced in the Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court. Bambalapitiya Police have commenced investigations based on CCTV footage. (Darshana Sanjeewa)