International cricket umpire Kumar Dharmasena is among 12 respondents who have been issued notice by courts in property case a relating to an unauthorized entry.
Respondents comprise the director board of Bintenna Plantations (Pvt.) Ltd. and two police officers, who have been ordered to appear before Colombo additional magistrate Pasan Amarasena on 12 October.
Dharmasena and nine others have been accused of forcibly entering a house at Narahenpita.
The complainant is Pradeep Malinga Fernando, the managing director of Assent International (Pvt.) Ltd., an equipment and appliances supplier to the police and security firms.
Fernando, his Dutch wife and other family members were the tenants of ‘Parkleen’, no. 51/2, Narahenpita, owned by Jayendra Wijesekara, who lives abroad, and at the heart of the dispute.
However, the chief incumbent of Isipathanarama Temple, which is the adjoining property, claimed they were the owners and demanded Fernando either left the premises or entered into a new leasing agreement.
The matter went to courts and the property continued to concern him further with various persons coming to inquire about it, and he decided to obtain security from Rakna Lanka security firm.
The entire family left for the Netherlands in July 2023, and the forced entry was reported on 16 August, against which Fernando filed a complaint with the Colombo magistrate’s court.
The plaint says Dharmasena and other directors of the plantation company were the ones who entered the house by force incidentally on the same day he received a WhatsApp call from a woman claiming they had bought the property.
He said his driver and the property caretaker have filed complaints with the Narahenpita police after they were threatened while trying to inquire into the matter.
Fernando also said he found furniture, cash, two pet Labrador dogs, a mobile trailer, CCTV system and belongings of the guard post had been robbed.
While police failed to take any action, Fernando returned home and entered the premises on 19 September and a police team arrived thereafter as a group of armed men left.
On the following day, he has gone to Narahenpita police to lodge a complaint, when its crimes OIC told him that Dharmasena has complained against him and advised him to get the matter settled amicably.
Fernando said that with forced entry and belongings robbed, he had no such intention, and wanted the law took its course.
The officer then warned him that he would be arrested, he said, adding that he handed over the property’s keys to him as he was helpless.
Later, he lodged complaints with the IGP and the National Police Commission, which subsequently resulted in a court case.
Additional magistrate Amarasinghe on 03 October issued notice on Dharmasena, other directors of the plantation company, and the OIC and crimes OIC of Narahenpita police.
