Notorious underworld figure and alleged drug trafficker Manoj Suranga Liyanage, widely known as “Batuwatte Chamara”, has been remanded under a 72-hour detention order for questioning following his repatriation to Sri Lanka from Azerbaijan.
The Police Media Division said the 48-year-old Ja-Ela resident was brought back to the country on May 10 by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), following his arrest in Azerbaijan during a joint operation conducted by Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence Service and the State Security Service of Azerbaijan.
He has now been handed over to the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) for further investigations, with the 72-hour detention order authorising sustained interrogation under criminal procedure rules.
Investigations have revealed that the suspect maintained close connections with several notorious organised crime figures and drug traffickers, including Ganemulla Sanjeewa, Kehelbaddara Padme and Commando Salinda, and was actively involved in narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities, police said. He was the subject of a separate Ja-Ela extradition operation confirmed earlier today.
According to Ada Derana, Batuwatte Chamara is linked to multiple drug-smuggling incidents under earlier CID investigation files, dating from December 2015 onward.
The 72-hour window is the first opportunity for SL investigators to question the suspect directly since his arrest abroad. Authorities have indicated he is expected to be produced before a magistrate following the conclusion of the detention period, with prior STF arrests of three associates likely to inform the line of questioning.
