It has come to light during the investigation that 17 soldiers had left Tripoli Army camp in Colombo to carry out the murder.

As such, the CID has sought a list of the 270 members of the said camp during the two days immediately prior to Wickrematunge’s killing.

The CID has summoned 20 of them on October 26 for questioning, and another 20 on the following day, but a top government official had interfered and instructed that soldiers be not summoned in groups for questioning.

Therefore, identifying the 17 men has become a problem, CID sources said.

Wickrematunge was murdered at Attidiya in Dehiwala on 08 January 2009.

His remains were exhumed seven years later, on 27 October 2016, for further investigation.