Policeman killed, LTTE cadre abducted from Vavuniya Hospital

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 December 2005, 10:20 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed an armed policeman, Mahes Ranasinghe, inside the Vavuniya Hospital premises and abucted Ms Gunaratnam Puveneswari who was undergoing treatment at the hospital under police custody. The incident took place around 2:45 p.m. Sunday at ward no 1. Mr Ranasinghe was killed at the entrance to the ward while four unarmed policemen were guarding the patient inside the ward, police said. Puvaneswari, who took cyanide when Sri Lanka Navy arrested her with four others on board a boat in Mannar sea last Tuesday, was taken away by the men who entered the ward.

After firing at Mr Ranasinghe, unidentified men entered the ward through backdoor, ordered the remaining policemen to leave the site, took command of the patient, lifted her over the walls of the hospital and fled the site in a van, police said.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) solders and Special Task Force (STF) soldiers were rushed to the site soon after the incident.

The Vavuniya District Judge, Mr.M. Ilanchelian who visited the site ordered the police to conduct investigations into the incident, sources said.