Police are investigating whether the 21 suspects deported from the United Arab Emirates have links to Sri Lankan politicians, the DIG in charge of the Colombo Crime Division, Nishantha de Zoysa, said.
Five of the deportees have been identified as hardcore criminals and two were wanted under Interpol red notices, he said. Among them are drug traffickers “Wanathe Kudu Duminda” and “Mahawatte Chamara,” who were arrested at a party in Dubai before being flown back to Sri Lanka on Friday.
Kudu Duminda is suspected of masterminding the August 8, 2025 shooting in Borella, in which two people were killed and three injured, and has been handed to the Colombo Crime Division. Five of his close associates were also among the deportees. Another, identified as “Raju Aiya,” a former Army deserter allegedly tied to organised crime, is also under investigation.
Investigators said the suspects’ connections were being examined through bank account records and telephone data analysis, and that the information gathered had already helped uncover details of several unsolved crimes, including killings reported in different parts of the country. Mahawatte Chamara has been handed to the Criminal Investigation Department for further questioning.
Many of the remaining deportees were arrested in Dubai over allegations of recording and circulating social-media footage of Iran’s missile and drone attacks on the UAE. Emirati authorities confiscated cash, gold jewellery and other belongings before deportation. The repatriations form part of a wider drive that has brought back dozens of wanted suspects under the Rata Ekata anti-narcotics operation.
