Sri Lankan military officials have ordered the arrest of the former Army commander who lost the presidential election.

According to witness reports, General Sarath Fonseka was forcibly led away by armed troops, just after he had met with senior opposition leaders.

The arrest took place at the offices of the Peoples Liberation Front.

Later, military officials said Fonseka, who used to head the armed services before his retirement, would be charged with fraud, connected to his time in the forces.

Both Fonseka and President Mahinda Rajapaksa fell out after the presidential election, when the former Army boss contested the January 26th election, which the incumbent president won by an 18 percent margin.

But Fonseka has since alleged that the vote was rigged and there had been a plot to kill him.

The government contended Fonseka was connected to a post-election plot to assassinate President Rajapaksa.