police found his body, riddled with six bullet holes. A PSD identification card was in one of his pockets. The PSD had dismissed him a few weeks prior to his murder. According to several sources, this provided a way for some Presidential Security Division's elite officers to save face.

Victims of several other assaults and murder attempts recognised Baddegana Sanjeewa and several journalists knew of his affiliation with the PSD. In particular, Baddegana Sanjiva had been involved in the attack on musician Rookantha Gunathilaka and his wife, singer Chandralekha Perera. The latter had identified him.

He is also thought to have participated in several PSD-ordered assaults, notably in June 1998, when intruders armed with machine-guns attacked the home of Lasantha Wickramatunga, Editor of The Sunday Leader weekly, and a smokebomb was thrown into the Ravaya weekly's office in Colombo. Actress Anoja Weerasinghe, yet another PSD victim, stated to Victor Ivan that the inquiry into her assault had been blocked by S.B. Dissanayaka, the Sports Minister of Chandrika Kumaratunga's regime, who crossed over to the UNP camp in the 2001 elections. After being informed of the suspicious activities of these PSD elements, S.B. Dissanayaka allegedly used his influence to stall the investigation.

In December 2001, The Sunday Leader weekly published two articles implicating the PSD and President Chandrika Kumaratunga. "This is completely false and fabricated information," she claimed in a letter to the Inspector General of the state police, whom she advised to initiate an "impartial investigation."

Several witnesses assert that Baddegana Sanjeewa was about to publicly denounce the PSD's