Two men from Batticaloa kidnapped in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 21:58 GMT]
Unidentified persons riding a white van without number-plate kidnapped two civilians from Batticaloa in Colombo Thursday night around 11:00 p.m. The victims, Mr. Kandiah Sasikumar, 22 and Mr. Kathamuthu Nallathamby, 40, were kidnapped on Colombo-Negombo road when they were on their way from Banadaranaike International Airport with their relatives who had come from abroad, sources said.

The victims who were from Santhiveli in Batticaloa were stopped by the same group of persons when they were on their way to airport to pick up their relatives, sources added. The group of four men had let them go after a "security check".

However, when they were returning from the airport, the same group wanted to check them again and kidnapped the two persons, according to the relatives.

The kidnappers had told the relatives, the sister and mother of one of the victims, that they were being taken for further inquiries.

Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian, Mr. S. Jeyanathamoorthy, on Friday morning contacted security officials in Colombo and urged immediate investigations into the kidnapping incident upon receiving complains from the relatives, sources added.