Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a youth and the injury of another in Kahawatta. The arrests were made by the Western Province North Crime Division, which also recovered the jeep used in the abduction of the victims.
According to police reports, the incident took place on the night of the 30th in Bungiriya, Kahawatta, Palansuriyagama. Two brothers were speaking with another youth at a house when the suspects, posing as police officers, arrived. One of the brothers managed to flee the scene, while the other two individuals were handcuffed and abducted.
Subsequently, one of the abducted youths was fatally shot, while the other sustained gunshot injuries and was admitted to hospital.
The deceased has been identified as 22-year-old Deshan Irantha, a resident of Palansuriyagama, Kahawatta.
Police investigations have revealed that the arrested suspects are closely associated with the notorious organized criminal Thanuja Sampath, alias ‘Homagama Handaya,’ who is currently evading arrest in Dubai. Authorities believe the crime was committed based on suspicions that the victims were leaking information about drug trafficking activities.
In addition to the suspects, law enforcement officers have seized the jeep used in the abduction, a car, three motorcycles, two registered number plates, 197 grams of heroin, and 96 grams of crystal methamphetamine (commonly known as ‘ice’). The jeep was found hidden within the Meegoda Police Division.
The arrested individuals are aged between 27 and 29 and are residents of the Homagama and Padukka areas. Police confirmed that all are currently unemployed and believed to be actively involved in drug trafficking operations linked to the criminal network led by ‘Handaya’.
A senior police officer stated that the individuals directly involved in the murder have now been identified and will be apprehended in the near future.
The Western Province Northern Crime Division continues to conduct further investigations into the incident.
