Two people missing after arrest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 1998, 13:41 GMT]
"My family is very poor, and my husband, Poopalapillai (41), used to work for daily wages, until he left for Saudi Arabia two months ago for a better paid job. I wouldn't have sent my son to Colombo if I knew his fate would be like this", says 35 year old Arulampikai, a mother of three, after failing to find the whereabouts of her son, Poopalapillai Suthakaran (18).

Mr. Suthakaran had been working and residing at a restaurant in Manig place Wellawathe Colombo for the past two years.

He was arrested at his work place on the 27th of August at 6am by several uniformed police personnel, he has been reported missing since then.

When the restaurant owner's brother pleaded with the police to release Suthakaran, saying that he is innocent of any crime, the police officials told him to mind his own business.

It was reported that the police jeep that took Suthakaran was roaming the streets of Wellawathe until 1 p.m. the same day.

Police at Wellawathe denied any knowledge of the arrest, when inquiries were made by Suthakaran's employer at 5 p.m. the same day.

Having failed to find him at various police stations Suthakaran's employer wrote to Suthakaran's mother about the incident four days later.

Suthakaran's mother then came to Colombo but found she was helpless, as she was unable to speak the local language.

Even with the assistance of Mrs. Maheswari Velayutham, a lawyer and the secretary of the Organization for Human Dignity, Suthakaran's mother was unable to locate her son.

Suthakaren's mother now regrets sending her eldest child to Colombo and is anxious about the future of her two remaining children, Pirapakaran 14 and Paskaran 12.

Meanwhile, in another incident, Mr. Rajakuru Yogeswaran (27), is reported to have been arrested by several persons claiming to be from the C.I.D. (Criminal Investigation Department). He was arrested at his place of employment, No. 66, Kathiresan road, Colombo 13, on August the 24th at noon.

At 2 p.m. the same day, the CID personnel searched Yogeswaran's belongings at the shop where he was working, and took some of his clothing.

His whereabouts were revealed by another man, who was released from custody at Peligode police station.

Mr. Yogeswaran, from Manipai in Jaffna, was once previously arrested by Nigambo police in 1995, and held in for six months.

In both incidents, the police did not issue any receipt for their arrest.