Two suspects jailed and remanded in connection with the murder of political activist Dan Priyasad have actually been identified by witnesses throughout an identification parade held at the Colombo Magistrates Court today (May 9).
The recognition parade was conducted on the orders of Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawala.
During procedures, the court was notified that three witnesses had positively determined the two suspects.However, the legal counsel representing the suspects contested the recognition, arguing that the investigation was being misdirected.
The lawyer claimed that the suspects in custody had no participation in the occurrence which the actual wrongdoers remained at large.The attorney further objected to the inclusion of two witnesses in the recognition parade, specifying they were relatives of one of the suspects.
He argued that permitting people knowledgeable about the suspect to participate in the lineup weakened the credibility of the process.In action, an officer from the Western Province South Special Investigation Unit notified the court that the arrests were made based upon declarations from multiple witnesses and CCTV footage that emerged throughout the investigation.
The officer also validated that additional queries into the murder are ongoing.Following submissions, the court purchased that both suspects be remanded up until May 23.