COLOMBO ; Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne.committed suicide at his residence in the morning on Friday,July 17.
According to sources, he died after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his residence in Malabe this morning (17), police said.
According to police, Wickramaratne allegedly had used the firearm of his personal security officer to shoot himself in the chest. Investigators suspect the incident was linked to a personal matter, while two police teams have been assigned to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
The incident was reported today (17) at around 6.15 a.m. at his residence in Thalahena, Malabe.
Police said Wickramaratne had come outside the house before leaving for his morning exercise routine and sat on a chair in the garden. He then called his personal security officer and requested the officer’s pistol.
According to investigators, he reportedly told the officer to bring the weapon so he could check whether it was “the new one or the old one.” He subsequently asked the officer to fetch a bottle of water from inside the house.
Police said that after the officer went inside, Wickramaratne allegedly had used the firearm to shoot himself in the chest.
Family members immediately rushed him to the Colombo East Base Hospital, but hospital sources said he had already succumbed to his injuries by the time he was admitted.
He was 63 years old at the time of his death.
Police sources said investigators are also looking into recent personal and family-related issues that may have caused him distress.
According to information gathered during the investigation, Wickramaratne’s daughter-in-law had filed for divorce from his son, alleging that he had extramarital affair with another woman. She had also lodged a complaint with the Police Children & Women Bureau, claiming she had been subjected to domestic violence.
Investigators have learned that Wickramaratne had reportedly been deeply troubled by the inquiry conducted by the Women and Children’s Bureau into the complaint involving his son’s family. He had also reportedly shared his concerns with several close associates regarding the manner in which the bureau handled the case, despite his former role as the chief of the Sri Lanka Police.
Kaduwela Magistrate Arun Indrajith Buddhadasa visited the residence to inspect the scene, while IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya had also visited the house later in the day. Ada Derana
