The Kuliyapitiya Police have initiated a wide-ranging investigation into the suspicious death of Abeysinghe Mudiyanselage Ranga Nishantha Rajapaksa, a suspended Assistant Director of the Department of External Resources at the General Treasury.

The deceased, a resident of Madakumburumulla in Pahala Weerambua, Kuliyapitiya, was found dead in his backyard this afternoon (30).

Police reported that the veins in both his legs and his left hand had been severed, and a blood-stained knife suspected to be involved was recovered near the body.

The victim was a father of two whose wife is a teacher. Police stated that while his wife was at school, his daughter had reportedly observed him heading towards the back of the house carrying a knife.

Rajapaksa had been identified as a key individual in the ongoing investigations involving four officials suspended over the alleged hacking and theft of $2.5 million from the General Treasury.

He had previously appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on two occasions to assist with the inquiry.

Following a report to the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate's Court, the body was moved to the Kuliyapitiya Teaching Hospital morgue. A post-mortem examination is scheduled for tomorrow.