Ministry of Defence - Sri Lanka

Vehicles unheeding order to stop at Navy checkpoint fired at

May 12, 2019

Sri Lanka Navy personnel manning a checkpoint at Hunupitiya, Wattala had to open fire at a car which had sped ignoring orders to stop. Navy had placed three road blocks near the railway crossing in Wattala after receiving information about the movement of suspicious vehicles. These checkpoints had been placed to cover the Averiyawatte, Wattala and Hunupitiya roads. At around 1.00 am Saturday morning (11), the said vehicle had come from Hunupitiya and had been ordered to stop at the checkpoint. But the driver had tried to speed away even trying to knock down the naval sentries on duty. Then the Navy personnel at the checkpoint had opened fire at the vehicle.

The injured driver was admitted to a private hospital in Wattala and later transferred to the National Hospital where he had succumbed to his injuries. The 34-year-old driver has been identified as a resident of Wattala. Investigations are continuing into this incident.

Another similar incident had later occurred at the same checkpoint at around 1.50 am. The naval sentries had to open fire at another vehicle that tried to speed away unheeding orders to stop at the checkpoint. No one was injured at the incident but the vehicle had been damaged. It was later revealed that the driver had been under the influence of liquor. He has been placed under custody, stated the Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara at a media briefing held at the Media Centre in Kollupitiya on Saturday (11) evening.

A three-day period has been announced starting from 06.00 am 11th to 06.00 am 14th, May to handover all illegal explosive materials. Anyone who has such explosive materials with them without a valid permit or had illegally obtained in any other means can inform the Officer in Charge of the nearest Police Station or through the Public Police Committees officers of his possession. The Police will then take action to visit the location and seize the explosive materials. Instructions in this regard have already been issued to all Police Stations in the country.

The Police Children and Womens Bureau is making arrangements to collect information of displaced children who had lost their parents at the Easter Sunday bombings. Once the details are collected further necessary measures will be taken after consultations with relevant authorities regarding these children. Information in this regard can be forwarded through the following contact numbers.

011 244 44 44

011 233 70 39

011 233 70 41

The suspect who was initially taken into custody after the killing of two Police personnel at the Vavunativu Police checkpoint on 30 November 2018, has been released after producing him to the Magistrate Courts in Batticaloa, on Saturday (11). Details of the killing has been revealed after the arrests of suspects of terrorist group which had carried out the Easter Sunday bombings. These suspects were arrested together with the two official revolvers and ammunitions provided to the two Police personnel killed at the Vavunativu checkpoint which had been taken away by the suspects, further revealed the Police Spokesman.