An individual who had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death in an ex-parte trial since he evaded court was arrested during the “ Ukthiya” Operation after 22 years by Kuruvita police.
The convict Gemunu Wijegunaratne (61) of Kandangoda in Kuruvita had on December 23, 2002 hacked to death a resident of the area Balangoda Muhandiramlage Chamila Nishantha Gunasekara and evaded arrest since then. However, after non- summary proceedings in his absence, he stood indicted with murder He had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death on February 26, 2019 and issued an arrest warrant.
He was produced before Ratnapura Actg.Magistrate Nilantha Hettiarachchi and remanded till further action to produce him in the high court to execute the conviction.
