The inquest hearing regarding the murder of the director of Janashakti Company, Mr. Dinesh Shafter, was held yesterday (10) for the second day before Colombo Additional Magistrate Mrs. Rajindra Jayasuriya, and the hearing was held in the magistrate’s office.
The case related to the incident was called before the open court and at the request of the lawyer who appeared before the court on behalf of the deceased, the examination of the autopsy evidence started at around 12.30 pm in the magistrate’s office.
This witness examination was held for over an hour in the official room and the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department as well as the OIC of the Criminal Division of the Borella Police appeared before the court.
Mr. Ramesh Shafter, the brother of Mr. Dinesh Shafter, director of Janashakti Company, testified before the court.
Chris Perera, a company director, and Tani Sherman Shafter, the deceased’s wife, testified in the magistrate’s office last (4) regarding the incident.
Two workers of the Borella Public Cemetery have also been named to testify regarding this murder.
However, after testifying, the witnesses were taken out of the court premises without facing the media and covered by a group of people, and it is special that the deceased’s wife covered her face with her hair and left the court premises.
Yesterday (10) only two witnesses were called for the autopsy related to the incident and the magistrate ordered the hearing of the two workers of the Borella Public Cemetery to be called on the 10th.
The director of Janashakti Company, Mr. Dinesh Shafter, murder inquiry handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department in accordance with the order of the Inspector General of Police. The Criminal Investigation Department has started investigations to find out whether it was a suicide or murder.
Thus, the piece of wire found at the killing site by the Borella police, the blood stained cloth, Mr. Dinesh Shafter’s nails, blood samples as well as the local evidence found by the SOCO and some local evidence found after the investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department were forwarded to the taster for a taster’s report as well as for DNA report as per court orders were issued on the 2nd January to call for the same.
On the 15th, the director of Janashakti Company, Dinesh Shafter, was brought to the Borella Public Cemetery from his home at Flower Road, Colombo 7 and the Borella Police reported to the court that he was strangled with a wire inside the car.
A panel of lawyers including President’s Attorney Mr. Anuja Premaratne appeared for the rights of the deceased’s family.