“Ali Roshan” Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal Possession of Elephants

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar sentenced Niraj Roshan, also known as Ali Roshan, to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment for illegally keeping an elephant without a permit and for related wildlife offenses.

The verdict was delivered by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Manjula Thilakaratne, Lanka Jayaratne, and R.S.S. Sapuwida. 

In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 20.6 million and ordered that the elephant in question be taken into state custody.

The case, filed by the Attorney General under the Penal Code and the Public Property Act, involved allegations that Roshan and three others conspired to illegally possess and traffic five elephants by falsifying entries in the Department of Wildlife’s elephant registry. 

The offenses were said to have occurred between 2009 and 2015 in areas including Maharagama, Arawwala, Nawala, Battaramulla, and Oruwala.

Out of the 33 charges filed, the court found Roshan guilty of two, while the other three accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence beyond reasonable doubt.