The repatriation of 02 Sri Lankan underworld figures arrested by Dubai defence authorities has reportedly been delayed due to delays by the Sri Lanka Police.
The ‘Aruna’ newspaper reported that the process had been disrupted because Sri Lanka Police authorities had allegedly failed to submit the documents required by Dubai authorities.
According to the report, the 02 suspects who cannot yet be deported from Dubai due to delays in submitting the required documents are Avishka Madhushan Abeygunawardena, alias ‘Wanathe Chathu’, and ‘Kalu Malli’, the younger brother of organised criminal Patabendi Maddumage Shehan Sathsara, alias ‘Dehi Bale Malli’.
They were arrested by Dubai authorities based on intelligence provided by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the State Intelligence Service and Police Headquarters.
Although the Sri Lanka Police had requested their deportation, police sources said the process had been delayed because the documents required for extradition, as requested by Dubai Police, had not yet been completed.
The sources also said this had raised suspicions that the process might have been undermined by the involvement of a small number of corrupt officers linked to the criminal gangs.
‘Wanathe Chathu’, reportedly a close associate of fugitive drug trafficker ‘Kanjipani Imran’, was arrested by UAE authorities in Ras Al-Khaimah on Aug. 20, police said.
Sathsara, better known as ‘Dehi Bale Malli’, is also described by police as a prominent drug trafficker and underworld figure. He is alleged to have operated alongside his brother, Thushan Nethsara, alias ‘Kalu Malli’, who is currently in custody in Dubai.
Investigators have pointed out that although these arrests have provided significant support for investigations into organised crime and drug-trafficking networks, administrative delays within the Police and the conduct of certain officers have seriously hampered those investigations.