Suspects in Navaali abduction to be charged under PTA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2010, 07:59 GMT]
Jaffna police will frame charges against the three suspects who had abducted two family men from Navaali in Jaffna for ransom claiming that they were from the Intelligence Wing of Sri Lanka Army (SLA). The charges are to be made in Mallaakam magistrate court under Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER), according to police sources. Preliminary investigations reveal the suspects’ involvement in earlier abductions, killings, robbery and sexual abuse in Jaffna peninsula after the opening of A9 road, the sources said. Meanwhile, the claim that they were of the SLA Intelligence Wing has raised suspicion among the peninsula residents of collaboration of the suspects with SLA Intelligence Unit and the paramilitary groups employed by it.

Jaffna police further said that it may take some time to frame the charges against the suspects as they expect more evidence of their involvement in other abductions for ransom, killing of elderly men and women staying alone in their houses for robbery, which had risen at an alarming rate in the peninsula recently.

Meanwhile, a woman arrested in Vavuniyaa suspected of being involved in abduction for ransom incident is being detained in Jaffna prison for the last two months.