Update — August 8: Three more suspects have been arrested, among them the alleged gunman, and police say the victim was shot by mistake. Details below.
A 39-year-old resident of Borella was shot dead when gunmen opened fire at a birthday party at a hotel in Palliyawatta, Wattala on the night of July 23, and police have since arrested four people over the killing.
According to police, the victim was critically wounded after a group of armed men arrived at the venue in a car, opened fire during the celebration and fled the scene. He was rushed to the National Hospital of Colombo, where he later succumbed to his injuries, NewsFirst reported.
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from an ongoing feud between two rival drug-trafficking factions. NewsFirst reported that police have linked the attack to a confrontation between gangs led by figures known as “Borella Roshan” and “Parawi Suda,” part of a wider pattern of territorial disputes among organised crime groups operating in and around the capital.
Four suspects, including two women, have been arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the fatal shooting, the Daily Mirror reported. Police said the suspects are being questioned as inquiries continue into those who carried out the attack and those who assisted them.
The killing adds to a series of gun crimes tied to Sri Lanka’s drug underworld, where rival networks have repeatedly targeted one another in public places.
Update (July 25): Two Sri Lankan suspects linked to the Wattala shooting have been detained in India after fleeing across the Palk Strait by boat, Ada Derana and the Daily Mirror reported. The pair are the latest to be held in connection with the attack, following the earlier arrest of four people, and Sri Lankan authorities are expected to coordinate with their Indian counterparts over the suspects. Police have said inquiries are continuing into those who carried out the shooting and those who helped them.
Update (July 30): A further suspect has been arrested over the shooting — a 24-year-old resident of Mukalangamuwa, Seeduwa, accused of helping to finance the getaway vehicle. Police said he transferred money from his bank account to obtain the rented car used by those who carried out the attack, and that he is alleged to have aided and abetted the crime.
The arrest was made by officers of the Western Province North Crime Division on Wednesday evening in Mukalangamuwa, Ada Derana reported. NewsFirst described the man as a key suspect in the case. The Western Province North Crime Division is continuing its investigations.
Ada Derana placed the original shooting in Palliyawatta, Kadirana, within the Wattala police division, on July 23.
Update — August 8: alleged gunman arrested, victim shot by mistake
Three more suspects have been arrested over the shooting, including the man police say pulled the trigger.
The three were taken into custody on Thursday (August 7) by officers of the Western Province North Crime Division, with assistance from the Police Special Task Force, Ada Derana and NewsFirst reported. Police said they are aged 26, 35 and 36, and are residents of Jinthupitiya, Matale and Kaduwela.
According to police, those arrested are the alleged gunman, the driver of the vehicle used in the shooting, and a third man accused of helping the others hide afterwards.
The intended target
Ada Derana reported a significant new detail: the attack was allegedly meant to target a suspected drug trafficker known as “Mattakkuliye Kudu Roshan.” The gunman is believed to have missed the intended target and instead shot and killed another man standing nearby.
That account differs in emphasis from NewsFirst’s reporting in July, which linked the attack to a feud between factions led by figures known as “Borella Roshan” and “Parawi Suda.” Police have not publicly reconciled the two descriptions, and it is not clear whether the same individual is referred to in both. Ada Derana also restated the earlier arrest of four other people, including two women, in connection with the case.
Ada Derana described the event at the function hall as a child’s birthday party. The Western Province North Crime Division is continuing its investigations.
Update — August 14: two fugitives deported from India, arrested at the airport
The two suspects who fled to India after the shooting have been deported and arrested on arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, closing the thread opened by their detention in July.
Police said the pair had escaped to India illegally by boat after the killing. They were apprehended by Indian security authorities while in hiding and deported from Chennai, Ada Derana and the Daily Mirror reported. Indian authorities notified Criminal Investigation Department officers stationed at the airport in advance of the deportation.
The two men are aged 30 and 34 and are residents of the Wattala area. CID officers at the airport recorded their preliminary statements before handing them to the Western Province North Crime Division, which is leading the investigation.
Police investigations into the shooting are continuing.
