Senior navy officers were aware of abductions - CID

Colombo (News 1st): The Criminal Investigations Department today (March 21) said, ex-Navy Commander Jayantha Perera, ex-Naval Intelligence Chief Rear Admiral Ananda Guruge and a number of senior navy personnel were well aware of the abduction of two Tamil nationals who were traveling in a van in Colombo back in 2009 and their forced disappearance. This information came to light when the case was taken up before Colombo Additional magistrate Salani Perera, today (March 21). OIC of the CID's Gang Robbery Investigations Unit IP Nishantha De Silva in a report to the Colombo Additional Magistrate said statements would be recorded from witnesses and investigations will take place. The second defendant in the case Lieutenant Commander Sampath Dayananda was further remanded until the 04th of April. On the 11th of January 2011, two businessmen named Vadiwel Makkili Saami Loganathan and Rathnasaami Paramaananda were abducted in Wellampitiya and were never to be seen again. The CID, when probing the incident revealed that a van belonging to one of the victims' had been scrapped and the parts were hidden at the Navy camp in Welisara.