Sunday Times 2
Follow the foreign lady and arrest the conceited rebel
It was 1972 or 1973, after the 1971 insurrection and officers from the Intelligence Branch, which was then known as the ‘Special Branch’, were still following up intelligence and gathering information about Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna members to build up a dossier on the possible resurgence of the rebels.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister during the 1971 insurrection: The JVP wanted to topple her government and take her prisoner
During the course of our investigations, it transpired that a JVP cadre, whom we shall call “Sam”was a JVP activist who was active in the Tissamaharama Police area. Investigations and information obtained from suspects arrested from down south indicated that Sam was not a youth but a middle aged man, who was enrolled as a JVP member largely based on his claim that he had obtained training in guerrilla warfare in a foreign country.
We did not take seriously the claim that he had links with a foreign revolutionary group. But we kept him under the radar. We observed he was visiting a foreign embassy in Colombo. We also received information that he had been giving lectures to JVP cadres and pushing a plan to overthrow the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government.
We knew he was a bragger and trying to impress the JVP youth with his claim that he was trained overseas in guerilla warfare and he had been taught how to creep through barbed wire, kill sentries and seize weapons from police stations.
It may be recalled that the JVP’s indoctrination programme consisted of five lectures. One of the lectures was on how to attack a police station and seize weapons.
Sam had claimed he had connections with an embassy of a European country and that he could obtain assistance from embassy officials for the revolution. He had also boasted that he was in possession of firearms.
On further probing, we found out he was meeting an attaché, a mature lady, whenever he visited this particular embassy.
In the meantime, the Special Branch shared intelligence with the Prime Minister’s Security Division (PMSD) about Sam’s plan to topple the government and his claim that he had fire arms.
The PMSD took serious note of the information, as it knew that there had been a plan by the JVP to kidnap the Prime Minister. It alerted law enforcement agencies about the threat, describing Sam as a dangerous criminal in possession of firearms.
Though efforts were made by the Special Branch to monitor the movements of Sam, it became rather difficult, as he did not have a fixed abode. In the alternative, we had mounted surveillance and used electronic intrusions to monitor the movements of the lady diplomat of the embassy.
Soon we found out that she had booked a ticket to travel from Ratmalana to Palaly in an Air Force aircraft. We were intrigued as to why she was travelling to Palaly, and the authorities decided that I should also travel on the same aircraft and follow her movements in Palaly and Jaffna. Having got ready I contacted a colleague of mine, the late T.M.B. Mahath (Tony), who was the Kankesanthurai ASP at that time. I shared with him the information we had gathered about Sam and his connection with the lady diplomat. As I was going alone, I requested my colleague to send a team of police officers to the Palaly Airport, in case I needed their assistance.
I emplaned at Ratmalana airport. The lady diplomat was already there. When the plane touched down in Palaly, I took time to disembark allowing the lady to disembark first. I observed that a team of Police Officers had already come. Without meeting them first, I followed the lady discreetly. She was looking for somebody to meet up with and then I saw her going up to the ticket counter to confirm her return flight. Meanwhile, I observed a middle aged man with a bandaged arm with splinters, hiding behind one of the pillars and peeping at the lady in an attempt to attract her attention. My intuition prompted me that the man with the bandaged arm was the most wanted Sam. I became a bit apprehensive, as I thought there could be a weapon hidden in the bandaged arm.
I looked around and saw the police officers in the jeep. I slowly sneaked up to the jeep and met them. Some of them knew who I was. I briefed them on the mission and that I had already located the man whom I had come looking for and the foreign lady who had come to meet him. I told them I was going to get Sam and I wanted their help. Both Sam and the lady made eye contact and walked towards the car park. As they walked towards a vehicle, I saw them talking to each other. At that moment, I decided that I had to act, though I was somewhat apprehensive of the hidden weapon in the bandaged arm. I signalled to the police officers and rushed towards Sam and apprehended him. The first thing I did, on apprehending him, was to unravel the bandage on his arm to make sure that he was not hiding any firearms and searched him thoroughly. Later, I got to know he had bruised his arm during a fall.
Having shown my Police identity card to him, I explained to him that I was taking him into custody as he was wanted by the Police in connection with a plan to assassinate the Prime Minister. The lady who was with him claimed that she was the holder of a diplomatic passport and that she had come to meet Sam, whom she described as a friend. I told her that I respected her diplomatic immunity, and was apprehending a Sri Lankan citizen who was wanted by the Police and that I was taking him to the KKS Police Station and if she so wished, she too could come to the Police Station independently.
I took Sam to the KKS Police Station in the vehicle provided by the uniformed staff and made my entries about the arrest and the arrangements to take him to Colombo. The lady diplomat also showed up at the Police Station and requested permission to speak to Sam. Her request was granted and she spoke to him in my presence. With my permission, she gave him some cartons of cigarettes. I, thereafter, politely told her that she could leave the police station as we had to continue our interrogation.
Unlike today, we did not have motor vehicles or aircraft to transport suspects and we had to make use of the night mail train to bring Sam to Colombo. I spoke to my colleague in KKS and obtained the services of two police officers to accompany me with the suspect during the train journey to Colombo. We brought Sam from KKS Railway Station to the Fort Railway Station in an ordinary compartment, having handcuffed him. During the train journey he kept us awake, regaling us with his imaginary and boastful deeds in the revolutionary army abroad, and how he was training the JVP youths to attack police stations and seize firearms. He also revealed how he got acquainted with the foreign lady from the embassy. He claimed that he bragged about his plan to kill the Prime Minister in a bid to impress JVP cadres.
At the Fort Railway Station, Special Branch officers took charge of Sam for further interrogation.
From what I learned from the few brief hours of travelling from KKS to Fort, my impression was that he was a “conner” and a bombastic boaster. Luckily, the dangerous criminal did not have any firearms with him when I apprehended him at the KKS Airport.
(The writer is a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police)