Lanka prez aide’s murder accused deported

India and Sri Lanka took a step closer on the fight against criminals and terrorists after two alleged killers of Bharata Lakhsman Premachandra, advisor to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were tracked down by Indian agencies and deported to Colombo from Mumbai early morning on Thursday.

Premachandra was gunned down by a mob led by MP Duminda Silva on October 8 at Angoda during an election to local bodies. Top government sources said after New Delhi’s help was sought by Colombo through diplomatic channels, the agencies acted swiftly and apprehended the alleged killers in Mumbai. They killers arrived in the city on October 9.

The security agencies closed in on the culprits on October 11 and kept them under watch. Later, their Indian visas were cancelled, which paved the way for their arrests on grounds of travelling without valid visas. Srinayaki Chaminda Ravi (32) Jaynath and Mohammed Sarfarar Sibly (28) were handed over to police. They were sent to Colombo on a Jet Airways flight at 2.10 am on Thursday. Police found two Sri Lankan passports in Jaynath’s possession.