Unidentified gunmen abduct prisoners in Muttur

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 October 2005, 14:56 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen Tuesday morning around 10.55 a.m. waylaid a government passenger bus bound for Muttur town at 59th mile post on Muttur Batticaloa highway and abducted four suspects two Tamils and two Muslims who were taken by prison officials from Trincomalee remand prison to be produced in the Muttur Magistrate Court in connection with criminal cases. Later two Muslims suspects were freed but unidentified men took the Tamil suspects, Muttur Police said.

The names of the Tamil suspects are Mr. Kanapathipillai Vinayagamoorthy and Mr.Kanapathipillai Jeyanathan. The names of the freed Muslim suspects are Mr.Mohamed Cassim Fahir and Mr.Mohamed Farhan.

All the four suspects were manacled- each pair comprised a Tamil and a Muslim.

However Muslim suspect in each pair freed them from unlocking the manacle forcibly, police said.

A prison guard Mr.Sukunakumar who tried to avert the abduction received gunshot injuries in his legs in the gunfire, police said.

Muttur Police and prison officials immediately brought the abduction incident to the Muttur Magistrate Mr.M.Ganesharajah.

Muttur Police recorded the statements of the two Muslim suspects who escaped the abduction. They were to be produced before Muttur Magistrate late in the night, police sources said.