On request made by the then Social Services minister Felix Perera to the Sri Lanka Res Cross, a Defender vehicle bearing the number plate WP – KA 0642 was handed over to the Chairperson of the Siriliya Saviya Foundation Former First Lady Mrs. Shiranthi Rajapaksa on the 11th of August 2011,” the Red Cross said.
The Sri Lanka Red Cross had admitted that the vehicle had been gifted by the organisation to Shiranthi Rajapaksa following a request from the then government.
The head of the Sri Lanka Red Cross, Jagath Abeysinghe, who has maintained that he was asked to make the “donation” and authorised the gift of the Defender to the Siriliya Saviya Foundation. There after he had posed for photographs with the then first lady and the vehicle. He spilled the beans during CID interrogation.
However, this defender vehicle was said to have been used by Yoshitha Rajapakshe till 20th January 2015. There after this defender vehicle was dumped inside the Habaragoda home garden of the Transport Manager attached to Sri lanka Red Cross without his knowledge. Police recovered this defender vehicle from his house.During this period colour of this defender vehicle was changed twice without informing either the motor Traffic Department or Srilanka Red Cross. Mystery revolves round the changing of defender colour twice. The CID suspects that this defender vehicle might have been the vehicle that followed Thajudeen’s car on that fateful day he was murdered. In this connection statements are being recorded from Shiranthi and Yositha Rajapakshe. Further investigations are continuing and official sources said several high profile arrests were imminent.
