Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela yesterday imposed a travel ban on former sports presenter and commentator Brian Thomas, in connection with the murder of Janashakthi Group director Dinesh Schaffter.
The Magistrate made this order pursuant to a request made by the Borella police.
The Borella Police requested the Magistrate to issue an order directing the relevant mobile companies to handover reports pertaining to the calls made on the mobile phone used by the deceased businessman.
The Borella Police informed the Magistrate that it has been revealed that Dinesh Schaffter had informed his wife that he was going to meet a person, who had taken a loan of Rs.160 mn from him.
Dinesh Schaffter had not responded since Thursday evening and was found in the Cemetery when his wife located the businessman via GPS. “Then his wife informed an employee about the matter and later Schaffter was found with his hand tied to the driver’s seat and choked,”Police added. Then he was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital by the employee with the help of a worker of the cemetery. He died under intensive care at the National Hospital in Colombo on Thursday night.
Police probe on Rs.1600 mn financial transaction
Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe
The Police Homicide and Organized Crimes Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is conducting investigations to identify the motive behind the murder of Janashakthi Director Dinesh Schaffter who was pronounced dead on Thursday night (15) while receiving treatment at the ICU of the National Hospital of Colombo, following an attempt to assassinate him inside the General Cemetery, Borella on the same afternoon.
The wife of the victim has revealed to the police that Schaffter had left home around 2 p.m. on that day stating that he was going to meet popular cricket commentator Brian Thomas, with whom Schaffter has had a conflict on a financial transaction of Rs.1600 million.
According to Schaffter’s wife, she had attempted to contact the husband after about one hour from his departure from home and when she could not contact him, she had used a mobile phone tracking facility to find the location of the husband. When she noticed that the husband’s mobile phone was positioned in the General Cemetery, she had sent a manager of the company to find her husband.
The manager had found Dinesh Schaffter tied inside his car in critical conditions and he had taken steps to admit Schaffter to hospital by the same car with the support of a worker of the cemetery. The CID is conducting investigations on different evidences including the CCTV footage on this murder.
Although, it was reported that the CID had questioned Brian Thomas over this incident, the police sources did not confirm that fact until last evening. The CID had also questioned the manager and the worker of the cemetery.
Dinesh Schaffter was a 51-year-old father of two. He was living in England it was reported that Schaffter’s family was to leave for England on the day of the murder as well.
Police investigations have not found evidence to prove that Schaffter had received death threats on earlier occasions.Investigations are being carried out by the CID.
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