Police say ‘open mind’ over murder of Sri Lanka executive

ECONOMYNEXT – Criminal investigators questioned a former cricket commentator and media personality in connection with the murder of top business executive Dinesh Schaffter, but were keeping an “open mind” as they pursued several lines of inquiry, a top police official said Friday.

Schaffter, 51, had driven to a yet unknown location where he may have been met by one or many individuals before ending up at the car park of the General Cemetery Kanatte on Thursday afternoon. He had been strangled with an antenna cable while he was in the driving seat of his Toyota.

“Dinesh had sent a text message to (name withheld) and asked him for a meeting yesterday,” an investigator said. “He (name withheld) had responded by saying he cannot come to any place, but asked Dinesh to come to his house,” the investigator said adding that they were yet to make an arrest.

“We are working with an open mind. We are following several possibilities, we can’t disclose them, but we are checking multiple theories for the motive as well as who is responsible.”

Schaffter and his wife were due to travel to Britain later on Thursday evening. He had informed that he was leaving to meet with a debtor and had shared his live location.

When he failed to answer his phone, his wife had informed the authorities that his phone location indicated he was inside the Borella Kanatte where police found him with his hands tied with tape and strangled at the driving seat.

“It is most likely that there was more than one person involved,” the investigator said adding that they were also examining CCTV footage from the area.

Schaffter is an executive director of Janashakthi Insurance.

In 2019, Schaffter had complained that the former cricket commentator had defrauded him of over 140 million rupees and a case is pending. (COLOMBO, December 16, 2022)