Key suspect in Serene Pavillions’ abduction case arrested
View(s):The main suspect involved in the abduction of hotelier Anura Lokuhetty, former CEO of boutique hotel Serene Pavillions at Wadduwa 18 months ago, was arrested this week and remanded pending an identification parade, police said on Wednesday.
The suspect is said to be a security manager working for a firm of security guards hired by the current disputed management of the hotel. According to court officials, he was arrested on Monday and produced in court on Tuesday. An identification parade is due to be held on March 25. A dispute over the ownership and management of the hotel flared into a major crisis when a group claiming to be the owners of the hotel stormed the place in October 2013, allegedly threatened staff and took over the property. The matter then went to several courts and is still in dispute in court with both sides contesting the issue.
According to court records, Mr. Lokuhetty, co-founder of Serene Pavillions, was abducted on October 11, 2013 after being assaulted. He was taken away in a van and dumped after sometime later in close proximity to the Bandaragama area. Earlier nine suspects were arrested but released on bail.
After Lokuhetty’s lawyers complained about interference in the case, the case then handled by the Wadduwa police was handed over to the CID headquarters in Colombo which is now handling the criminal investigation.