13 Years Later: CCTV Suspect in Thajudeen Case Identified as Slain Gang Member

COLOMBO (News 1st); A major breakthrough has emerged in the long-running investigation into the death of national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, who died under suspicious circumstances on May 17, 2012, near Shalika Grounds in Narahenpita.

Initially classified as a car accident, the case was investigated by the Narahenpita Police and the Borella Crimes Investigation Division. Based on their findings, the death was deemed accidental, and the case was closed.

However, in 2015, then-DIG of the Colombo Range, Gamini Mathurata, submitted a report to then-IGP N.K. Illangakoon, prompting the transfer of the case to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). A comprehensive investigation followed, revealing that the initial post-mortem had been improperly conducted, raising serious doubts about the cause of death.

The CID obtained court approval to exhume Thajudeen’s body. A second post-mortem, led by then-Colombo Chief Judicial Medical Officer Dr. Ajith Tennakoon, revealed missing bones in the chest and neck areas. The findings confirmed that Thajudeen’s death was not accidental, but a homicide.

Treating the case as murder, CID detectives retraced Thajudeen’s final movements. CCTV footage showed him parking near a supermarket in Havelock Town to buy water. Upon leaving, another vehicle was seen tailing his car. The CID released footage of an unidentified individual near the second vehicle, but no identification was made at the time.

A new lead surfaced following the arrest of several wanted Sri Lankan criminals in Indonesia, including Kehelbaddara Padme, Commando Salinda, Panadura Nilanga, Backhoe Saman, and Thambili Lahiru. Among them, Backhoe Saman—a known member of an organized crime syndicate—was linked to the assassination of Aruna Shantha, alias Middeniye Kajja, who was gunned down in early 2025.

CID investigators received a voluntary statement from Kajja’s wife, who confirmed her husband had received threats and had publicly spoken about the Thajudeen case in a 2023 YouTube interview.

When shown the CCTV image of the individual near the second vehicle in Thajudeen case, she identified the person as her late husband, citing specific traits such as his posture—placing hands on hips due to chronic hip pain.

Her statement strongly suggests that the previously unidentified individual in the footage is indeed Aruna Shantha, alias Kajja.

This identification marks a significant development in a case that has spanned over a decade, marred by delays and controversy.The CID continues to pursue leads and is actively investigating the murder of Wasim Thajudeen.