Police deny releasing Ranjan’s audio clips
Posted on January 9th, 2020
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
The Police Department today denied allegations that it was involved in the release of telephone conversations of Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayaka on social media and electronic media.
In a statement, the Police Media Division said a three-wheeler driver from Battaramulla has handed over an external hard drive containing audio clips to the Mirihana Police on January 2 after a passenger had left it in his three-wheeler.
Therefore, Police said the third parties and others who were in possession of the CDs and hard drives were responsible for circulating audio recording in the media.
Certain parties are attempting to sabotage the police investigations by making baseless allegations. Sri Lanka Police dismisses those charges and asserts that those who possessed the recordings are responsible for releasing them to the media,” the police said.
Police said following the examination of the hard drive handed over by the Battaramulla three wheeler-driver, they found a large number of telephone recordings of MP Ranjan Ramanayake.
Recordings of phone conversations with former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP Hirunika Premachandra, former High Court Judge Padmini N. Ranawaka, former Director of the Bribery Commission Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe, former Director of the CID Shani Abeysekera and several others including police officers were found in the hard drive.
Police said MP Ramanayake’s residence was searched on a warrant on January 4 to locate the first copy and other property of the external hard drive as some of the recordings indicated that the MP was undergoing weapons training to assassinate MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
Police have seized a firearm, 127 live ammunitions, two laptops, four external hard disks, five hard disks, 164 DVDs, two files containing details of the murder of Wasim Thajudeen and a mobile phone.
Police said those seized items had been placed securely and would be produced in Courts and to the Government Analyst as case productions. (Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)