White van abduction: Mano tells IGP to take action

   
Civil Monitoring Committee on Abductions Convenor and Western People’s Front Leader, Mano Ganesan claimed the number of a white van had been found in Pettah and called on the IGP Jayantha Wickramaratne to take action.
He was referring to the statement made by the IGP that public should inform the police regarding white vans.

The incident had occurred at 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning at Kadiresan Street in Pettah, Colombo involving Tamil civilians (a 67-year-old mother and a 27-year-old son),

Heavily armed men numbering twelve (12) came for Punyavadhan Pathmanathan and tried to abduct him from Everest Lodge, Kadiresan Street, Pettah, Colombo 11 on  July 9, 2008 at 5 a.m. reported to the Civil Monitoring Committee by grieving Pathmanathan and his mother, Naduvilan Deivanai.

The Tamil woman Naduvilan Saraswathi, aged 31 was abducted by armed men on April 29, 2008 from the same location. It has been reported to CMC. She was missing from that date and her whereabouts were not known.

This disappearance has been reported to the Pettah police station. Missing Saraswathi’s aged mother, brother and family were staying at Everest Lodge, Kadiresan Street, Pettah, Colombo 11 hoping for the return of Saraswathi.

As per complaint made to the CMC Convenor and Colombo District’s Member of Parliament, Mano Ganesan by the victims, today (9th) morning armed abductors had arrived at Kadiresan Street and tried to abduct the missing Saraswathi’s brother Punyavadhan Pathmanathan, a 27-year-old Tamil youth. However, the mother Naduvilan Deivanai, aged 67 had come running and started crying loudly. The abductors had then introduced themselves as personnel from Pettah police station which was 200 yards away from the place of incident.

The mother had then demanded she be also taken with the son to the police station. While this commotion was taking place other residents had telephoned Pettah police station and complained that ‘some are trying to abduct residents’.

Subsequently, police personnel from nearby Pettah police station had arrived at the scene within minutes and spoken with the abductors.

And the abductors had got into their white van and got away. The white van number is 57 - 0662.

A complaint of the incident was being made by Pathmanathan and Deivanai at the time of this release.  It was made to the nearby police post at Wolfendhal Street under Pettah police station.