By Norman Palihawadane

Massive file retrieval for re-examination goes on at police headquarters and CID by engaging investigators in perusing evidence related to over thousand cases of the past two decades, police headquarters sources said.

The investigators have been divided into teams for what a senior police officer called ‘cold case investigation’ perusing archived documents and some are engaged in re-scrutinizing the evidence pertaining to several ongoing cases as well.

When contacted for comment, Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya said that afresh investigation of Easter Sunday terror attacks has been commenced and officers have already started recording statements from various parties including those who had already testified before courts and commissions involved in previous probes.

“There is evidence to prove that many former investigations either deliberately overlooked or missed some vital information and facts. The CID has been tasked with the case reopening process. I can promise that new investigations will yield results to bring about justice to many. For example, the CID is looking to gather evidence from many new angles in the Wasim Thajudeen case,” Weerasooriya told The Island.

Prior to investigations a list of names of persons and officers who had been connected to investigations into controversial cases has been sent to the airport and a special police team has been detailed by the Ministry of Public Security to prevent them leaving the country, the Public Security Ministry sources said.

Among the new case-reopening process are several organized crimes involving some officers from the Colombo Crimes Division. Relevant CCD officials have been found trying to flee the country, police headquarters sources said.

The IGP has promised to overhaul CCD and to appoint a new director to the Division.

Sources within the Division said that many officers have found it uncomfortable to face the probes and there were concerns that some sensitive documents related to certain investigations conducted by the CCD might have been destroyed.