Former Police Inspector Jagath Nishantha has been remanded after his arrest related to the shooting incident near the W15 Hotel in Weligama in 2023. The Matara Magistrate’s Court has ordered that he remain in custody until March 5, according to a report from Ada Derana. Jagath Nishantha, who was wanted in connection with the incident, had fled abroad but returned to Sri Lanka yesterday, where police took him into custody. Previously, the Matara Magistrate’s Court had issued arrest orders for eight former officers from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), including former Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon, naming them as suspects in the shooting that occurred on December 31, 2023, in front of the W15 Hotel located in the Pelena area of Weligama. At that time, Nishantha was already out of the country. Since he did not come back to Sri Lanka, the Police Department issued a notice indicating he had abandoned his position. Furthermore, the court had placed a travel ban on him. On December 31, 2023, a group of CCD officers went to Weligama to allegedly arrest people linked to the well-known underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickremeratne, known as ‘Harak Kata.’ According to police reports, officers dressed in civilian clothes were attacked from inside the W15 Hotel, which led them to fire back in self-defense. Soon after, a mobile patrol vehicle from the Weligama Police Station arrived at the location and opened fire on the van containing the CCD officers.