A 9mm Russian-made pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition were discovered buried in the garden of the residence of “Karandeniye Raju” — the brother of organised crime figure “Karandeniye Sudda” — during a specialised police search operation, Ada Derana reported on Friday morning.
The recovery was carried out as part of an investigation into the criminal network linked to Karandeniye Sudda, who is wanted by Sri Lankan authorities. The location of the residence, the unit conducting the search and the date of the operation were not disclosed in initial reporting.
Raju was arrested in India earlier this month and repatriated to Sri Lanka on April 17. He is currently being held under a 90-day detention order issued under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for further questioning.
The recovery of a Russian-origin firearm at a property linked to Raju is the first concrete physical evidence tying the network to military-grade weapons since his repatriation. Police have not yet disclosed how the weapon entered the country, whether forensic testing has linked it to any prior incident, or whether further searches at related properties are planned.
The Karandeniye Sudda network has been a focal point of the police’s Rata Ekata anti-narcotics operation, which has driven sustained pressure on organised crime cells across the Southern province since October 2025.
