Sri Lankan court orders arrest of rugby players' killers

A Sri Lankan court on Thursday ordered the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to arrest the killers of former national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen aftert his death appeared to be a murder.

Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris announcing his decision of the magisterial inquest into the death of Thajudeen confirmed that his death appears to be a homicide, local media said.

He ordered the CID director to take necessary steps to arrest Thajudeen's killers.

The judge said that considering the two Judicial Medical Officers reports, the Government Analyst's Report, the reports by Genetech, the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) and the Motor Traffic Commissioner, there was enough reason to determine that the national rugby player was murdered.

Thajudeen's death got widespread publicity after investigators re-opened the case after the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena came into power early last year.

Sirisena had vowed to investigate high-profile murders which had taken place during the former Mahinda Rajapakse regime and charge anyone in connection with the deaths.

Thajudeen's body was found in his fire-gutted car in the capital in May 2012, leading to speculation that he had died in a car crash.

But a local court in August last year gave the CID approval to exhume Thajudeen's body after the police re-opened the case, almost three years after his death.

Following intense investigations, medical experts late last year submitted a report to Colombo additional magistrate Nishantha Peiris, stating that the former player had been beaten up and placed on the front passenger seat of his car. The car was later made to crash onto a wall and then set on fire.

Former President Rajapakse's second son has been rumored to be involved to the death, although the former first family denied any links. Endit