Chase ends in surrender

Deshabandu Tennekoon, the suspended Inspector General of Police, surrendered to the Matara Magistrate last Wednesday after leading the force he once headed on a merry chase for some 20 days, resulting in a lot of egg on the face of the police.

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He did so after unsuccessfully moving Court of Appeal earlier in the week seeking a writ order to prevent his arrest. This was obviously a last ditch attempt which failed. No doubt fearing that he could not hide for ever, Tennekoon turned up at the court house early on Wednesday morning, reportedly in a Benz car although there is no confirmation of that, staying in the court room until his case was taken up later in the day.

Although we believe the police could have arrested him when he turned up in court, as is known to have been done in the past, that did not happen. Tennekoon would have no doubt been prepared for such an eventuality. The prosecutor went on record that the fugitive should have been in a holding cell rather than seated in the open court room. At the end of the day he was remanded till April 3 and taken away to the Angunukolapelessa jail under special escort by the prison authorities who have been directed to ensure his safety in custody. This is an obvious precaution given the suspect’s notoriety and it was not long ago that a suspect was shot dead as he stood on a courtroom dock. Also, many grudges are known to have been settled in jail in the past.