Court grants CCD permission to detain couple for 24 hours | Sunday Observer
‘Shades’ owners murder:

Court grants CCD permission to detain couple for 24 hours

7 February, 2023
Roshan Wanninayake and The suspect
Roshan Wanninayake and The suspect

The Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court has granted permission to the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) to detain for a period of 24 hours and carry out investigations into the couple who were taken into custody in connection with the murder of Roshan Wanninayake, a businessman and owner of the ‘Shades’ readymade clothing shop network. The businessman’s body was found floating in a swimming pool on the third floor of a house in Pelawatte.

The CCD said that they obtained the permission subsequent to producing suspects who have allegedly been involved in the murder before the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court yesterday (06).

According to Police information, the suspect was taken to Kadawatha and handed over to the Police following a telephone call given by the suspect’s aunt to a Police officer attached to the Kandana Police station.

Later, the Kandana Police had taken him into custody and handed him over to the CCD yesterday (06). The suspect’s wife was arrested by the CCD while he was being taken to the Colombo Crimes Division.

Investigations had revealed that subsequent to murdering the businessman, this couple had entered the Bandaranaike International Airport by about 3.30 a.m. on the very next day (31) with the hope of leaving for Bali islands in Indonesia. Officers of the CCD had also discovered that this couple had bought two bottles of water from a supermarket at the airport premises around 3.48 a.m.

This couple had to forgo the trip to Indonesia at the airport itself, since a visa problem had arisen and they had left the premises between 5.30 a.m. and 6.00 a.m. and is said to have travelled to the Katunayake Bus stand in a three-wheeler. Investigations also revealed that during this trip in the three-wheeler they had also visited a business place in Katunayake at about 6.05 a.m.

This couple had boarded a bus from Katunayake and arrived in Colombo and from there gone to Kolonnawa to the aunt’s house. This was discovered by officers of the CCD during investigations.

The full facial beard which the main suspect had from the time the couple murdered the businessman had not been there when he was arrested. He had shaved off his beard leaving only a moustache and changed his appearance, a top police officer said.

Two of the four credit cards stolen from the wallet of the businessman were found in the possession of the suspect. The police said they are unaware of what happened to the two remaining credit cards. When questioned by the police, the suspect had said that they did not even steal the businessman’s wallet. The police have not yet been able to find the murdered businessman’s wallet.

This suspect had stolen the businessman’s mobile phone as well. They had booked the tickets to fly to Indonesia using this mobile phone. He had also made several calls using this same mobile phone. The CCD has questioned him about this mobile phone. He had responded by saying that he had gone to Wellawatte on January 31 and then thrown the phone into the sea.

Although a special team of Police officers scoured the area where the suspect said he had thrown the mobile phone, it has not been found up to now.

The house where the businessman was killed was subject to close inspection yesterday, once again by Police officers. This was in search of a condom which is said to have been used by the businessman and then thrown out from the top floor. The Police said that although the suspect had purchased a packet containing three condoms, only two were found in the house during a search after the body was discovered. According to the Police, one of those condoms had been used and one had been unused. During questioning, the suspect had said that two of the three condoms had been used. Accordingly, the Police searched for the third missing condom yesterday.

During this search the Police had found inside the house a pole which had been used to hit the businessman on his head and kill him. It is to be sent to the Government Analyst. That is to confirm whether this pole was the one that was used to kill the businessman. The Police said that the condom discovered will be sent for a DNA test as well.

During lengthy questioning of the suspect by CCD officers, he had stated that he had gotten to know this businessman via an App since about a month ago. Although they had exchanged messages via the App, the suspect said they had met for the first time on January 30. A top police officer said that it is apparent from the statements of the suspect, that the businessman had been killed during this first meeting.

The suspect had told CCD officers that although this was their first meeting, they had become close friends due to being connected through the App.

The suspect had been living with his wife until recently at his ancestral home in Narahenpita. However, at the time of the businessman’s murder they had been resident at the wife’s parents’ house in Kolonnawa.

During investigations it had become apparent that he had wanted to rent a house to live in with his wife and as a result he was in need of money. It was also apparent that the suspect had decided to meet the businessman on January 30 and arrived at the Pelawatte house with the objective of obtaining some money. The suspect had told CCD officers during questioning that he had been in Dehiwala when he received an invitation from the businessman to come and meet him. In reply to questions asked by the Police, the suspect had said that it was the businessman who had asked him to buy condoms and bring them and that all exchange of messages had taken place through WhatsApp.

The suspect had said that he had bought the condoms from a pharmacy in Kalubowila and then gone to Pelawatte and on the way had got into the businessman’s car and gone with him.

Answering a question put to him, the suspect had said that they had stayed there for two hours.

The suspect had said that they had had intimate relations during that time. Then he had asked the businessman for one hundred thousand rupees and he had felt hurt when the businessman said he did not have any money with him. When the businessman had approached him to have intimate relations with him for the second time, the suspect told the CCD officers that he was hurt and angry and since he was not given the money, he had hit the businessman on the head with a pole.

This was the long story he had told the CCD. A senior Police officer said that the additional 24 period obtained from the court was due to end today and as a result they will produce the two suspects at the magistrate’s court and it is likely that the main suspect will make a confession in the presence of the magistrate.

The businessman’s body which was found at his house in Pelawatte on the evening of February 2nd was so disfigured that it could not be identified due to being in the water for several days. So none of the family members were able to identify him.

“The post mortem conducted on the body of the businessman has revealed that the death has caused due to the blow with a blunt weapon. The report is to be produced to the Kaduwela Magistrate court today,” sources said

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