Former Minister of Agriculture Duminda Dissanayake was remanded until Thursday, May 29, by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court in connection with the discovery of a gold-plated T56 firearm at a popular apartment complex in Havelock Town. Dissanayake was arrested on Friday from a luxury apartment complex in nearby Thimbirigasyaya.
Police said he was a suspect linked to the recent recovery of a gold-plated T-56 assault rifle. Police officers told the Court that the suspect was arrested under Section 43 of the Firearms Ordinance.
They also submitted an investigation report to the Court.
The weapon was found earlier this week. Police initially arrested two women, aged 40 and 68, in this connection on Tuesday. One of them is believed to be from Kazakhstan.
A security officer at the apartment complex had called the Police after noticing that the two women had placed a shiny object resembling a T56 rifle in a vehicle. The Police visited the site immediately and found the weapon. The two women had said that they thought of it as a toy gun, but ballistics and weapons experts called in by Police confirmed that it was a genuine, fully operational gun.
Investigations have been handed over to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID).
