Sri Lanka's former president Ranil Wickremesinghe arrested
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lanka's former president Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday for allegedly misusing the state funds, police said.
Wickremesinghe, 76, was arrested at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, where he was summoned to record a statement in connection with an investigation into the alleged misuse of government funds, police said.
He has been accused of using state funds to travel to England to attend a convocation ceremony of his wife, Prof Maithree, in September 2023.
It has been alleged that Wickremesinghe was returning from the US after an official engagement and visited the UK at the state's expense to attend the private engagement of his wife.
The CID had previously questioned his staff about the travel expenses.
Wickremesinghe, who had replaced Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the President to serve the balance term until the end of 2024, was credited with steering Sri Lanka out of the economic crisis of 2022. He was president from July 2022 to September 2024.
The veteran politician also served as Sri Lanka's prime minister six times.
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Elder brother allegedly kills sibling over marriage dispute in Gadag
Gadag: A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his younger brother following a dispute related to marriage in Hirekoppa village of Nargund taluk on Tuesday.
According to Asianet News, the deceased has been identified as 19-year-old Fakirappa Kuravinkoppa, a shepherd from Chikkamulangi village in Belagavi district. The accused, Ashok, is his elder brother.
Police said that Ashok initially claimed that unidentified persons had killed his brother by dropping a stone on his head. However, on suspicion, he was taken into custody for questioning.
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During interrogation, Ashok reportedly confessed to the crime. Police said the dispute was related to a woman Fakirappa was engaged to marry, and the accused allegedly committed the act with the intention of marrying her.
The victim’s mother, Yallamma, said the family was not aware of such intentions and that a separate marriage proposal had already been arranged for Ashok, but he didn't like her. “I never imagined he would kill his own brother just because he wanted Fakirappa's fiancée,” Asianet News quoted Yallamma as saying.
On receiving information, the Nargund police visited the spot and began an investigation. A case has been registered, and further inquiry is underway.
