The mobile phone of former Member of Parliament Patali Champika Ranawaka is scheduled, by court order, to be produced before the court on April 29, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lalith Rohana Gamage told the media on Friday (17).
Addressing the media, SSP Gamage said the phone is to be taken into custody in connection with a case being heard in the High Court.
He revealed that the Witness and Victim Protection Division had received a complaint of witness intimidation, prompting a probe.
During the examination of a phone belonging to a previously arrested suspect, investigators found evidence of deleted WhatsApp exchanges between that suspect and Ranawaka’s phone, which is now considered vital evidence.
An earlier attempt to obtain the device failed after Ranawaka refused to hand it over, but SSP Gamage said the former minister later appeared before the magistrate and agreed to present it.
The phone will be submitted to court on April 29 and forwarded to the Government Analyst to uncover significant evidence for the ongoing investigation, SSP Gamage added. (Newswire)