Sri Lanka Police are in search of their own chief who has been evading arrest after a court order and , the Police Spokesman said, amid a legal battle on the apex post in the island nation.
The Magistrate’s Court in Sri Lanka’s Southern district of Matara issued an order for the arrest of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon over a 2023 shooting incident.
However, Tennakoon who is still the official police chief, has gone missing and yet to be arrested despite the efforts of his own subordinates.
We have deployed several police teams to search him and we have searched places where he usually stays. But he has gone hiding without adhering to the law,” Police Spokesman Buddhika Manatunga told reporters on Thursday (06).
“As Sri Lanka police, there is a process to follow when you arrest a suspect who has not abided by the law or court order. Accordingly, we have been checking his phone records and places he could be possibly staying. We are also treating him similar to a normal suspect.”
“There are no special privileges as the IGP. There is a court order against him. If somebody has been helping him to hide, we will take actions against that person as well. Also if there is any information related to this, you can inform our criminal investigation department.”
Manatunga said the Police investigation considers Tennakoon as a usual suspect evading arrest after the court order and the latest information show that he has not left the country.
The Supreme Court in July last year issued an interim order restraining Tennakoon from functioning as the IGP after nine Fundamental Rights Applications challenged his appointment as the police chief.
Tennakoon, is born the 36th IGP of Sri Lanka with a 26-year police career. In November 2023, he was appointed Acting IGP and subsequently confirmed as the permanent IGP on February 26, 2024. But his appointment was marred by controversy due to a prior Supreme Court ruling that found him guilty of torturing a suspect in 2010.
He still remains as the official IGP as he has neither resigned nor been removed from his post amid the court case over challenging his appointment.