Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne, Sri Lanka’s 35th police chief, was found dead in an apparent suicide at his residence on Friday, police confirmed.
According to investigators, the incident occurred at around 6.15 a.m. at Wickramaratne’s home in Thalahena, Malabe. Police said the 63-year-old had come outside ahead of his morning exercise routine and sat on a chair in the garden, where he called his personal security officer and asked for the officer’s pistol — reportedly saying he wanted to check whether it was “the new one or the old one.” He then sent the officer inside to fetch a bottle of water, and shot himself in the chest with the 9mm weapon while the officer was away. He was rushed to the Colombo East Base Hospital in Mulleriyawa, where he was pronounced dead.
Police Spokesperson ASP F.U. Wootler had earlier confirmed the death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Two teams — the Malabe Police and the Special Crimes Investigation Division of the Western Province (South) based in Nugegoda — have been deployed to investigate. A magisterial inquest has been completed and a post-mortem examination is under way.
Investigators say they are examining a possible motive linked to family and disciplinary pressures. According to police, Wickramaratne’s daughter-in-law had filed for divorce from his son, alleging an extramarital affair, and had lodged a complaint with the Police Children and Women Bureau alleging domestic violence. He was reportedly distressed over an internal inquiry connected to those matters.
Wickramaratne was appointed Acting IGP after the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, confirmed as Inspector General on 25 November 2020, and retired on 25 November 2023. His tenure spanned the continuing investigations into the Easter attacks, which killed more than 260 people.
Police said his final rites will be held on the evening of Monday, 20 July, at the Borella Cemetery, with the body to be kept at a private funeral parlour in Borella beforehand. Investigators have since recorded statements from more than 10 people in connection with the death. On the orders of IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya, the Western Province (South) Crime Division has taken over the inquiry, working under the Nugegoda SSP and Malabe OIC.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said on 18 July that further extensive investigations were under way. The former IGP’s remains have been sent to the Government Analyst for examination, while his mobile phone has been taken into police custody pending a court order for forensic analysis. The firearm used has likewise been seized and is due to be sent for further examination.
This is a developing story and will be updated as further information is confirmed by authorities.
