The wife of detained former State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay has lodged a complaint seeking protection for herself and her children, alleging that they have been subjected to surveillance, intimidation and threats by an individual she believes is attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
In a letter dated 20 June 2026 addressed to the Chairman of the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses, Manori Bandusena Sallay requested an urgent investigation into the alleged surveillance activities and asked for protective measures under the relevant law.
Her complaint states that her husband is currently receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka while remaining in CID custody under a detention order issued in connection with investigations into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
Sallay said she had previously submitted a complaint to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), registered under case number 1103/26, concerning her husband’s arrest and detention. She alleged that her husband had been subjected to torture and inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody.
According to her letter, during proceedings before the Human Rights Commission, the Officer-in-Charge of the CID admitted that her husband had been subjected to a strip search in the presence of other detainees. Sallay described the incident as inhuman and degrading treatment, stating that the matter was among issues being considered by the Commission.
The complaint further alleges that since the start of these events, particularly following her husband’s hospitalisation, family members had repeatedly observed an individual believed to be attached to the CID and dressed in civilian clothing engaging in what she described as suspicious surveillance.
Sallay stated that the individual had allegedly been seen recording video and monitoring the family’s movements outside the hospital. She also referred to a separate incident involving her 17-year-old daughter and 22-year-old son after they visited their father.
According to the complaint, the children told her that a CID officer entered a lift with them and appeared to follow them. After noticing media personnel nearby, they changed their route and exited through another gate.
Sallay alleged that when the children entered their vehicle, they again saw the same individual, who then took out a mobile phone and began recording or photographing them. She said her son managed to photograph the individual and that the image had been submitted to the Authority as evidence.
The complaint also states that the same individual had previously been seen near the family’s vehicle when it was parked close to CID premises.
Sallay has requested that the Authority conduct an independent investigation into the alleged surveillance and recording of her family, identify the individual shown in the photograph, determine the purpose of the alleged monitoring and establish who authorised it.
She has also requested protection measures for herself and her children, prevention of any further alleged harassment, surveillance or interference, and updates on the progress of the investigation and any protective steps taken.
In her letter, Sallay said the alleged incidents had caused fear and distress for her family and requested that the matter be treated as urgent due to the vulnerability of her children, including her minor daughter.
