IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon Granted Bail

The Matara Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, who was remanded in connection with a fatal shooting incident that occurred on December 31, 2023, near the W15 Hotel in Pelena, Weligama. Bail was set with two sureties of Rs. 1 million each.​

Previously, on February 28, 2025, the Matara Magistrate’s Court issued arrest warrants for Tennakoon and eight other former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), naming them as suspects in the shooting incident. The incident resulted in the death of a police officer.

Tennakoon surrendered to the Matara Magistrate’s Court on March 19, 2025, following the dismissal of his writ petition by the Court of Appeal, which sought to prevent the execution of the arrest order. Subsequently, he was remanded until April 3, 2025.