Police are investigating 19 of its officers who had allegedly maintained connections via telephone with organized criminal and drug kingpin Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne alias Harak Kata.
According to police headquarters sources, the special investigation division is probing them on the instructions of acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.
The police chief looked into why no proper investigation took place although their links with the criminal came to light following his arrest, and ordered a probe.
A majority of these officers holding various ranks is said to be from the southern province.
The investigation will especially look into if they have had direct links with Harak Kata’s drug racket in return for various privileges and also if they had aided his accomplices to commit crimes.
Also looked into will be land, vehicles and other properties they had bought to the name of others.
Following his arrest, some of the accused officers had cited various reasons and voluntarily got transferred to difficult areas, added the sources.
