Karuna Group cadres remanded in Puttalam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 04:42 GMT]
Four armed members of the Karuna Group and their driver who were arrested by Sri Lanka police last Sunday in Saliyaveva region of Amparai district were remanded in custody until 8 June by Acting Magistrate for Puttalam, Tamil press reports said.

The gunmen's vehicle was stopped by police while travelling from Kochchikade, Negombo to Anuradhapura on the Anuradhapura-Saliyaveva Road, the Thinakural reported

A routine search of the vehicle turned up a brand new handgun and ammunition, the paper said.

The group had told the police they were Karuna group members and that they were going to Anuradhapura. The weapons were for their protection, they also told police.

They were arrested, however, brought to Puttalam and produced before Acting District Magistrate AMS Abdul Qadar.

The four Karuna Group members were named as Niranjan Nimalan of Trinco, Shanmuganathan of Negombo, S Kusala Kumar of Negombo, Shanmuganathan Nishanthan of Negombo. The driver was named Don Niroshan.

Puttalam police are conducting further investigations.