Sri Lanka’s former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, once the most powerful law enforcement official in the country, is on the run from the very police force he once commanded, who have been unable to track him even as he filed a court case against his arrest.
The Matara Magistrate’s Court has issued an open warrant for his immediate arrest following allegations that he orchestrated an unauthorised police raid that led to a fatal shooting in Weligama on 31 December 2023. However, despite the Sri Lankan police publicly declaring that they cannot locate him, Tennakoon has managed to file a petition in the Court of Appeal, seeking an order to block his own arrest.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), tasked with executing the arrest, has deployed special units across 28 locations nationwide, yet Tennakoon remains at large. Police spokesperson Buddhika Manatunga admitted to the press that the situation has “undermined public confidence” in the country’s law enforcement system.
"We urge the public to provide any information about his whereabouts," Manatunga pleaded, adding, "Anyone harbouring the IGP will be prosecuted for obstructing justice."
Meanwhile, a foreign travel ban has been imposed on Tennakoon to prevent him from fleeing the country—a move that may be too little, too late.
While Tennakoon remains missing, his legal team has been able to file a petition on his behalf before the Court of Appeal, seeking an injunction to prevent his arrest. In the petition, he claims that his arrest is being politically motivated, accusing Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security Ravi Seneviratne and former CID Director SSP Shani Abeysekara of targeting him.
The Court of Appeal is set to hear the case in the coming days—highlighting the absurdity of a wanted fugitive successfully engaging with the legal system, even as law enforcement struggles to track him down.
**A botched raid**
The Matara Magistrate’s Court ordered Tennakoon’s arrest in relation to a botched police raid at the W15 Hotel in Weligama, during which a gunfight erupted, leaving one police officer dead and another critically wounded.
Tennakoon had allegedly ordered a special unit from Colombo to carry out an unauthorised raid for illegal drugs. However, local Weligama police, unaware of the operation, confronted the team, leading to a fatal shootout. Investigators later confirmed that no drugs were found.
Following CID investigations, the court ruled that the deployment of officers had been illegal and subsequently issued arrest warrants for Tennakoon and eight other police officers, including former Colombo Crimes Division Officer-in-Charge Anselm de Silva.
**A history of brutality**
Tennakoon’s career has been marked by serious allegations of human rights violations and corruption. His appointment as Sri Lanka’s police chief in November 2023 was met with widespread condemnation, given his tainted record.
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court previously found Tennakoon guilty of torturing a suspect by rubbing menthol balm on his genitals. The court ordered him to pay LKR 500,000 ($1,600) in compensation, yet the government at the time failed to take disciplinary action against him. His tenure as Western Province Senior DIG was marked by allegations of excessive force against Tamil and Muslim communities, as well as claims of political bias in favour of the Rajapaksa regime.
Despite these allegations, he was controversially appointed IGP, but the Supreme Court suspended him in July 2024, pending further hearings on his conduct.
Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake acknowledged that Tennakoon had “gone missing”, but expressed confidence that he would eventually surrender.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala insisted that the police were handling the matter independently, while Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala reiterated that “no one is above the law”.