In an unprecedented turn of events, Sri Lanka’s police force is hunting its own chief, Deshabandu Tennakoon, after a Matara Magistrate’s Court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant last week. Tennakoon, suspended as Inspector General of Police (IGP) since July 2024, is wanted in connection to a deadly raid he ordered on December 31, 2023, in Weligama, a resort town 150 kilometers southeast of Colombo. The botched operation, targeting a hotel for alleged drug activity, ended in tragedy when local police, unaware of the undercover Colombo Crime Division (CCD) team, opened fire, killing one officer and injuring another. No drugs were found.

Police spokesman Buddhika Manathunga confirmed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is leading the manhunt, with raids on suspected hideouts yielding no results. A travel ban ensures Tennakoon, 53, cannot flee the country. “We’re treating him as a suspect and seek public assistance,” Manathunga said. The court deemed the raid illegal, implicating Tennakoon and eight others in the officer’s death.

Tennakoon’s tenure has been mired in controversy. Appointed IGP in November 2023 by then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe, he faced immediate backlash due to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling holding him accountable for torturing a suspect in 2011. Public petitions led to his suspension in July 2024, with Priyantha Weerasooriya appointed acting IGP in November. Now, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration, which prioritizes rooting out corruption, Tennakoon’s evasion adds a dramatic chapter to his downfall.

This saga exposes deep fissures in Sri Lanka’s law enforcement, from coordination failures to accountability gaps. As the CID intensifies its search, the nation watches a rare spectacle: a police chief dodging his own force, symbolizing a reckoning for past impunity.