• Kuliyapitiya OIC transferred over assault
• Aiding-abetting suspect gets bail in Ganemulla Sanjeewa murder    

A total of three individuals have been arrested in connection with the torture of and setting fire to a wild elephant in Seeppukulama, Mihinthale, the Police said. The Mihinthale Police has arrested the trio following an extensive investigation. A video showing a wild elephant being set on fire was circulating on social media extensively. The wild elephant which was subjected to torture was subsequently found dead in Seeppukulama within the Mihinthale Police Division. A post-mortem examination conducted in connection with the elephant’s death concluded that it died due to kidney and liver disease, along with extreme fear caused by the burns. On Wednesday (17), officers attached to Mihinthale Police Division arrested three residents of Seeppukulama, aged 42, 48 and 50, for the offense of animal cruelty after setting the wild elephant on fire. The Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court has ordered the three suspects arrested in connection with the alleged torture and setting fire to a wild elephant in the Seeppukulama area of Mihintale to be remanded until 24 December.

Meanwhile, the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Crimes Division of the Kuliyapitiya Police Station has been transferred in relation to an allegation of assaulting a person. Accordingly, the Office of the Police Media Spokesperson stated that the Crimes OIC has been transferred from the Kuliyapitiya Police Station to the Mawathagama Police Station. In the past few days, a video showing a Police officer in civilian clothing assaulting a person inside a house had been circulating on social media. An investigation into the incident has been launched under the direct supervision of the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the North Western Province. The investigation revealed the person carrying out the assault was the OIC of the Crimes Investigation Division of the Kuliyapitiya Police Station. Accordingly, steps have been taken to transfer the OIC, and the Police stated that disciplinary action will also be taken against the officer in due course.

Elsewhere, the Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanka S. Bodaragama, on Wednesday, granted bail to a suspect who had been arrested and remanded in custody in connection with the murder of the organised crime figure Sanjeewa Kumara Samararatne, also known as Ganemulla Sanjeewa. The suspect, identified as Udara Nirmal, was granted bail under two surety bonds of Rs. 500,000 each. He had been arrested and remanded on suspicion of aiding and abetting the murder by supplying mobile phone subscriber identity module cards allegedly linked to the assassination of Samararatne, who was shot dead inside the Aluthkade Court complex on 19 February.