The Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court on Thursday ordered former Member of Parliament Chandana Kathriarachchi remanded until 27 May over charges linked to the possession of weapons and ammunition, formally moving the case from police custody into the court system.
Kathriarachchi was arrested on 16 April by officers of the Colombo Crimes Division while allegedly in possession of two T-56 magazines, 221 rounds of ammunition and a hand grenade. He was held under a 30-day detention order while investigators questioned him about the origin and intended use of the cache before he was produced before the Kesbewa bench on Thursday.
The former MP last entered Parliament representing the United People’s Freedom Alliance and contested the most recent general election from the Colombo District under the New Democratic Front ticket.
Thursday’s order is the third stage in a thread that began with his initial arrest at his Piliyandala residence under a Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court search warrant, followed by police seeking a 30-day Colombo Crimes Division detention order after the initial 72-hour custody window expired. Investigators are continuing to examine the origin of the weapons and their intended use.
