Update — August 14: NewsFirst has published a fuller account of the same briefing, with direct quotes from the officer and his comments on the wider wave of underworld shootings. Details below.
Police have rejected suggestions that the recent Malaysian operation connected to underworld figure “Kanjipani Imran” was a failure, saying it required navigating the laws and procedures of a foreign country.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Rohan Olugala, speaking to the media, said police operations conducted overseas must be carried out in accordance with the laws and protocols of the country concerned.
Sri Lankan officers cannot operate in a foreign jurisdiction in the same way they would at home, he said, comparing the situation to someone unfamiliar with the geography and procedures of an area outside their own locality.
Olugala said the operation should therefore not be considered a failure, but rather a learning experience for Sri Lankan authorities in dealing with foreign legal and operational procedures.
”We have already entered the water”
NewsFirst, which identified Olugala as Director of the Special Unit for the Suppression of Narcotics and Organized Crime, published a fuller account of the same briefing on Friday, including his direct quotes.
“You know your own village very well. But if you go to another village outside your area, you will not have the same level of understanding about that location,” he said. “Likewise, when conducting an operation in another country, we must operate within that country’s laws and have a proper understanding of the environment.”
Pressed on whether the effort to detain Imran had stalled, Olugala said: “If you want to swim, you first have to enter the water. I do not consider it a failed operation. I consider it a successful operation. We have already entered the water.”
He offered little detail on the operation itself, but indicated that efforts to locate and apprehend Imran remain active. Asked whether time was running out for the fugitive, he declined to be drawn beyond a suggestion to wait and see.
Shootings linked to rival gangs
Olugala was also questioned about the recent wave of shootings targeting relatives and associates of major underworld figures, and whether such attacks were becoming harder to control.
He attributed the violence largely to power struggles between competing criminal organisations. “These organized criminals take various actions to expand and maintain their influence. As a matter of principle, we cannot approve the taking of any life,” he said, adding that every incident is under investigation by Sri Lanka Police.
“These attacks are carried out by rival groups seeking to establish or reinforce their power,” he said.
Olugala said a comprehensive strategy to disrupt underworld activity is under way at the direction of the Inspector General of Police. “Under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, we are implementing a strong and comprehensive strategy. I believe that in the future we will be able to bring the situation under considerable control.”
Background
Olugala led the special police team that flew three organised crime suspects back from Malaysia earlier this month. The three, described by police as associates of “Kanjipani Imran”, were arrested in Malaysia in late July by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department working with Malaysian counterparts.
Among them was the man known as “Ratmalane Saima”, identified by NewsFirst as a key associate believed to have managed the network’s financial operations. He was handed over to Peradeniya Police for further investigation on his return.
“Kanjipani Imran” has been a target of Sri Lankan law enforcement for years and is one of several senior figures police say direct drug and organised crime networks from overseas while remaining beyond the reach of local courts. Daily Mirror did not specify which aspect of the operation had drawn the criticism Olugala was responding to.
