COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities are searching for Inspector-General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon after a court ordered his arrest over the fatal shooting of an officer during a failed raid, officials said yesterday.
Tennakoon has been missing since Friday when a magistrate in the country’s south issued the warrant, citing his role in authorizing a December 31, 2023, drug raid that ended in a deadly shootout. Police officers attempting to enforce the warrant found his residence abandoned, with his bodyguards left behind.
A foreign travel ban has been imposed on the 53-year-old police chief to prevent his departure from the country.
The fatal incident occurred in Weligama, a coastal resort town 150 kilometers south of Colombo, when local police unknowingly confronted an undercover unit from the capital. The clash escalated into a gunfight, leaving one officer dead and another critically injured. No illegal substances were found at the scene.
Tennakoon’s appointment as police chief in November 2023 had been controversial, with the Supreme Court suspending him in July due to an ongoing legal challenge. The court had previously ruled against him in a separate case, finding him guilty of torturing a suspect and ordering him to pay compensation—a ruling that was ignored by authorities.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s economy received a boost as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $330 million disbursement under an existing loan agreement. The IMF praised Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, citing strong reform efforts and successful performance targets.
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