Police officer released on bail, nine remanded in extortion case

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 December 2008, 00:04 GMT]
The Colombo Chief Magistrate allowed the Officer-in-Charge of Police Special Crimes Branch of Western Province on surety bail for Rs. 200,000, and ordered remand for nine other suspects, including two police constables, when they were produced in court Wednesday on a police report that they extorted money from a Tamil businessman. The suspects demanded a sum of one million rupees from that Tamil businessman for his release otherwise he would be implicated for engaging in 'terrorist' activities, according to a police report furnished in court, legal sources said.

The Tamil trader told the police that he was handed over to the Prevention of Terrorism Unit of the police by the suspects when he refused to pay the extortion money.

The suspects thereafter came to his residence and removed gold chain, money and valuable articles, according to the trader's testimony.

The police told court that part of the money paid by the trader to the suspects had been deposited in the account of OIC's wife, legal sources said.