UPFA Southern Provincial Councillor Krishantha Pushpakumara, alias ‘Raththaran’, was arrested by the Akmeemana Police last week over child abuse allegations, and was released on bail shortly thereafter.
According to Police, the arrest was made after a complaint was lodged with the police stating that the Councilor had allegedly abused a 16-year-old girl in Akmeemana. As per the complaint made by the victim on February 28, the suspect had molested her on February 23 at his Devalaya premises.
The girl had visited to the Devalaya, owned by Rattaran, who was attached to the Army as a soldier some time ago, on February 22 with her parents to cure an illness she had. After the first day’s treatment, he had asked the girl and her parents to come on the following day as well. On the following day the suspect has taken her inside the devalaya alone and molested her several times, the complaint stated.
According to her statement, the suspect had informed her and parents that some poison is inside her body and it needs to be taken out. Then the suspect has allegedly molested her on the pretext that he is sucking the poison out of her body.
Soon after the complaint was lodged, the Akmeemana Police launched investigations. Responding to the complaint Krishantha Pushpakumara who now works as the Education Supervisory Councillor at Southern Provincial Council surrendered to the Police on February 28 and later produced before Galle Magistrate Courts where he got released by a Rs. 25,000 bail and two surety bails. The case was adjourned till April 30.
Attorneys for the suspect had told the courts that police is trying to hide information and this clearly is an act of tarnishing the image of the MP. Also the Pooja had been conducted by a person named Hemasiri and he had requested one million ransom from Rattaran via the telephone, said Rattaran’s attorneys.
“I was not arrested. When I was asked to give a statement I voluntarily went to the police. Otherwise police didn’t come and encircled my house and arrested me. This entire story revolves around an effort of receiving ransom from me.
They had tangled this story in to that to tarnish my image. Once we produce the truth in to the courts, people who are behind this will be revealed,” said Krishantha Pushpakumara last week at a press conference organized at his house in Bataduwa. Under the guidance of AkmeemanaOIC IP Nirosh Dharmasena, a group of police officers including Crime OIC IP Wickremathanthri and Constable Sarathchandra (59111) are conducting further investigations.