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Police search for gunmen who shot at them in Pallai
View(s):An operation was launched yesterday to apprehend those responsible for firing at a Police vehicle in Pallai, a senior police officer said.
Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Eastern Province and Acting SDIG Northern Province (NP), Sumith Edirisinghe said officers investigating Friday’s shooting at police officers in Pallai, Kilinochchi, have uncovered several vital clues, which they hope will lead to the speedy arrest of those responsible.
“Several pieces of evidence, including a pair of gloves allegedly used by the shooter, were located during the search. The authorities had also been given the number of a suspicious vehicle seen in the vicinity, prior to the attack,” he said.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Roshan Seneviratne said, “On Friday, we established a security cordon around the site of the attack, as it is the Army which has the power to do that. But search operations inside the cordon were conducted by police.” The shooting occurred at around 12.15 a.m. on Friday, when a police mobile patrol vehicle was stationary near a railway crossing along the A9 Road between Pallai and Muhamalai. Three officers of the Kilinochchi police station were in the car.
The officers on hearing several gunshots had returned fire. Police suspect the gunmen fired from behind a cover of dense bushes, 30 metres away from the police vehicle. A railway signal post near the police car was damaged, after being struck by bullets.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe travelled to Jaffna to chair a meeting of the Jaffna District People’s Representatives and Govt officials. Several Govt Ministers as well as NP Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran were in attendance.
Security was tightened for the the PM’s visit, with naval vessels patrolling the sea while a heavy presence of armed police and Special Task Force (STF) personnel was visible, and armoured cars were stationed along the A9 Road.