Officers of the Foreshore Police yesterday arrested a man who tried to enter the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, Colombo yesterday (9) during the service held in conjunction with the 189th annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church.
This person has been subjected to special scrutiny by the guards of the church due to his suspicious appearance. There he showed the security officers a national identity card with the name Anthony Tenet. But according to his appearance, a doubt has arisen that he is a Muslim. Accordingly, when checking him, there was a document related to a temporary identity card certified by a Grama Niladhari. According to the document, he is a 46-year-old person named Imtiaz Mohammed Naufar.
During questioning, he said that he is married and resides at Vihara Mawatha, Agalawatta, Matale. He has also said that his mother lives in Mattakkuliya Ferguson Road. He told the police that his mother is a Muslim woman and his father is Johnson Raja, a non-Muslim. When he was questioned, he said that after his father died, his mother remarried a Muslim. He told the police that after his mother’s second marriage, he changed his name to Mohammed Naufar and that after the marriage he was residing in Matale with his wife and children.
An investigation by the Matale police has revealed that a warrant has even been issued against this person by the Matale court for causing damage worth Rs.150,000.Police said that he is also addicted to excessive alcohol use and is undergoing rehabilitation in this regard and his wife has left him and lives separately because of his troubles.
He told the police that he was travelling in a bus from his mother’s residence in Mattakkuliya to the Muslim church at Grandpass when he heard hymns being sung at St. Anthony’s church and remembered his father there. Accordingly, he said during the questioning that he was caught by the police when he got off the bus and was on his way to the church.
A senior police officer said that reports from the State Intelligence Service, the Police Special Unit, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Terrorism Investigation Division have been called regarding this person’s behaviour as suspicious. The officer further stated that the suspect was remanded till June 19 after being presented to the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday (9) until the reports are received.
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