Grenade inside Borella Church: retired doctor arrested, weapons recovered from Piliyandala home

by Hemantha Randunu

Police investigating the recovery of a hand grenade from All Saints Church, Borella, have arrested a 76-year-old retired doctor, living in Pilyandala. Police say the arrest was made following information elicited from the main suspect who had served as a security officer for about eight years at a medical centre, run by the doctor in Piliyandala.

Police say that the suspect had served at the Piliyandala government hospital for a long time.

Police have recovered four pistols,one revolver, two swords, a ‘Rambo’ knife, and another weapon. Under interrogation, the doctor has claimed that he is a collector of weapons. The police recovered the weapons in a bedroom on the ground floor of his three-storeyed residence.

Investigators believe the doctor was also behind the planting of a hand grenade at Lanka Hospital late last year. The detection was made while Minister Chamal Rajapaksa and Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sudarshanan Pathirana were receiving treatment at the hospital.

Senior officials said that clandestine activities of the doctor had come to light during interrogation of the main suspect taken into custody in the Panamure area.

Earlier, Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith rapped the government over the handling of the investigations into the incident at All Saints Church. The police recovered the grenade in late afternoon on January 11.

Both the doctor and the person arrested in Panamure have been detained at the Foreshore Police station.