The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has revealed that Anura Vidanagamage, popularly known as Meegasare Kajja,” who was brutally killed along with his two children, had been serving at the Ministry of Defence at the time of the Wasim Thajudeen murder, NewsFirst reported.
The revelation has further deepened suspicions of state involvement in Thajudeen’s killing, which remains one of Sri Lanka’s most high-profile unresolved murder cases.
CCTV evidence from the Thajudeen case had previously placed Kajja’s vehicle following Thajudeen’s car on the night of the rugby player’s death in 2012. His wife had identified him in the footage, though some of his family members have since disputed the claim.
In a related development, former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) local government candidate Sampath Manamperi has reportedly confessed to providing the firearm used in the murder of Kajja and his two children.
Investigators believe the killings were part of an attempt to eliminate key individuals connected to sensitive past cases. Manamperi is currently being held under a 90-day detention order, while the CID continues to question several suspects believed to have played roles in planning and executing the crime.
The government has meanwhile pledged a full and impartial investigation into unresolved cases, including the Thajudeen murder and other politically sensitive crimes from the previous decade.
Wasim Thajudeen, 28, was one of Sri Lanka’s most promising rugby players. His death in 2012, initially reported as an accident, was later ruled a homicide following forensic evidence that indicated foul play. The case continues to be one of the most widely discussed unsolved murders in the country. (Newswire)