A 55-year-old restaurant owner has been shot dead in Bellanwila, and police have arrested two suspects in connection with the attack, including a deserter from the Sri Lanka Army.
According to Ada Derana, the shooting took place at around 7.45 p.m. on the night of July 25, when two men who arrived on a motorcycle opened fire on the victim as he stood in front of his restaurant near the entrance to the Bellanwila walking track. Critically wounded, he was rushed to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital and placed in intensive care, but later succumbed to his injuries, police confirmed.
Investigators have since taken two people into custody — the alleged gunman and the rider of the motorcycle used in the attack. NewsFirst reported that the suspects were arrested in Nawagamuwa. Police said the suspected shooter is a deserter from the Sri Lanka Army and is also wanted over the theft of firearms from the Army camp in Minneriya.
Police believe the killing was linked to an underworld rivalry. The deceased was reportedly a relative of an organised-crime figure known as “Kos Malli,” and investigators suspect the attack was carried out by a rival criminal group.
Several teams, including officers from the Boralesgamuwa Police and the Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Unit, have launched a joint investigation. The Daily Mirror also reported the victim’s death. Further inquiries are ongoing.
Update — July 30: suspects placed under 90-day detention order
Both suspects have been handed over to the Western Province South Crime Investigation Division under a 90-day detention order, the Daily Mirror reported on July 30. The pair were produced before court, which granted police approval to detain and question them for 90 days.
The two were arrested by Nawagamuwa Police while allegedly attempting to flee the area, having been intercepted on a motorcycle. Police identified them as a former Sri Lanka Army soldier from the Gangeyaya area of Kottepitiya, Bakamuna, and a second man from the Heerawiya area of Orubendi Siyambalawa, Bakamuna.
Accounts of the attack itself differ between outlets. Ada Derana reported that two men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire; the Daily Mirror described an unidentified group travelling in a blue three-wheeler, with the assailants fleeing towards Dehiwala afterwards. Police established roadblocks at several locations following the shooting.
