Former Director of Naval Intelligence, Rear Admiral (Rtd) Sarath Mohotti, has been remanded until September 24 after being arrested by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with a series of abductions and disappearances.
The retired officer was produced before the Polgahawela Magistrate’s Court today, where the CID reportedly detailed allegations linking him to the abduction and disappearance of 11 youths in and around Colombo in 2008, as well as the disappearance of a young man in Trincomalee in 2010. The latter case involves claims that the victim was unlawfully detained at the Alawwa Police Station before being transferred to Trincomalee.
Former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne, who has also been accused of overseeing an unlawful detention centre during his tenure as head of Naval Intelligence, also remains in remand custody over abductions and disappearances.
The arrests come amid continuing scrutiny of the Navy’s role in enforced disappearances, including the notorious “Trinco 11” case, where 11 Tamil youths were abducted in Colombo and later disappeared after being detained at a naval camp in Trincomalee.
Survivors and rights groups have long accused the Navy of running secret detention sites and systematic abduction networks, often with the complicity of senior officers.
Despite repeated evidence and survivor testimonies, prosecutions of senior officials have yet to take place, with many implicated officers promoted to high-ranking positions within the military. Tamils have repeatedly warned that the culture of impunity entrenched in Sri Lanka’s security forces undermines any prospect of accountability for the thousands of enforced disappearances across the island.