A suspect linked to an attempted shooting in Ahungalla on the night of April 17 has been arrested by the Special Task Force at a lodge in the Hegalla area of the Kosgoda Police Division.
Police said the assailant had opened fire with a T-56 type assault rifle at a man travelling in a three-wheeler in Ahungalla. Based on intelligence received about the suspect’s location, an STF team conducted a raid the same night and apprehended him at the lodge.
The 45-year-old suspect, a resident of the Pitagoda area in Kosgoda, was found in possession of 13 grams and 760 milligrams of methamphetamine, known as “ICE.”
The arrest is the latest in a series of organised-crime-linked incidents in the southern coastal belt, where drug trafficking networks have been connected to shootings and turf disputes. The use of a military-grade T-56 firearm echoes the weapons cache found when former MP Chandana Kathriarachchi was arrested with similar ammunition earlier this month.
IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya said the same day that recent criminal activities including shootings have been brought under control, with 32 organised crime suspects repatriated from abroad.
Further investigations are being carried out by Ahungalla Police.
