Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Hemali Halpandeniya has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to further investigate the mysterious death of a journalist’s husband. Accordingly, notice has been issued to the Director of the CID to appear before Court on 18 March.

The deceased has been identified as Agosthinuge Samarajeewa, a 60-year-old resident of Waidya Road in Dehiwala. It is reported that after his wife had noticed that her husband had not returned home after work on 1 January, she had gone looking for him and later found him in a critical condition with bruises at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Kalubowila the following day, 2 January. 

The injured person succumbed to his injuries on the morning of 3 January. Meanwhile, on the day of the incident, a former Air Force officer, had informed the 119 Police Emergency Hotline that a person was found lying in the garden of a house on Hill Street in Dehiwala, which is owned by his wife.

Attorney-at-Law Geethma Fernando, presenting evidence on behalf of the aggrieved party, stated in Court that the Dehiwala Police officers who arrived at the scene at around 11 p.m. to inspect the injured man had proceeded to wash him and had changed his clothes instead of taking steps to hospitalise him immediately. The attorney also claimed that the Dehiwala Police had not conducted a proper investigation into the incident.

However, the Dehiwala Police stated before Court that statements have been recorded from the homeowner and residents related to the incident.

Accordingly, after considering the facts presented, the Additional Magistrate has entrusted the CID with conducting further investigations into the death, as the autopsy report identified the cause of death as assault with a blunt weapon, and because it would not be possible to expect the Dehiwala Police to conduct a fair investigation into the case.

The case is scheduled to be heard again on 18 March.