The Attorney General’s Department yesterday indicted retired Squadron Leader of the Sri Lanka Air Force Nishantha Gajanayake and four others on several counts of abduction of Tamils and extortion for their release. Gajanayake had been on the staff of Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera.

Among the other accused were two police officers, Chamira Indika Daladawatta and Sampath Preethiviraj. K. A. Jayasiri Kodithuwakku and Prabhapillai Kandarasa are also alleged to have engaged in committing the offence.

It was alleged that Nishantha Gajanayake and others had abducted Natarajah Skandharaja on July 20, 2007 at Wellawatta. In the same chain of events they abducted Ramaiah Jeyaraj the driver of the victim.

After the abductions, the accused had allegedly asked for six million rupees from Yogaraja Sri Skandharaja in order to release them.

The accused were charged on 5 counts. and the case against them will be taken up before the High Court of Colombo soon.