Senior DIG Lalith Jayasinghe arrested

Senior DIG Lalith Jayasinghe has been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department in connection with the rape and murder of Jaffna school girl Vidya Sivayoganathan.

The senior police officer was arrested yesterday and will be produced before Kayts Magistrate and charged under section 209 of the Penal Code for harbouring, concealing and assisting the main suspect of the case Mahalingam Sivakumar alias ‘Swiss Kumar’ to flee and evade arrest. According to sources at the CID, the top cop was arrested after being ordered to present himself at the Department for questioning regarding the 2015 incident.

Jayasinghe was the Senior DIG of the Kandy Division at the time of arrest.

Sources said, during questioning Jayasinghe had denied all accusations being levelled against him. However, sources from the CID claim to have substantial proof regarding his conduct.

Senior DIG Jayasinghe was charge sheeted on July 12 and was given a month to respond to the charges.

Sivayoganathan was raped and murdered in May 2015 by a group of people. While 12 suspects were arrested in relation to the case, Mahalingam Sivakumar, the main suspect who was handed over to the Police escaped from a hospital he had been sent to, for treatment.

However, he was again arrested in Wellawatte while in hiding, on a tip-off received by the Police. It is the alleged the suspect was attempting to flee the country at the time.