July 05, Colombo (LNW): A 23-year-old suspect sought in connection with the fatal shooting of an attorney-at-law and his wife in Akuregoda earlier this year has been taken into custody after being extradited from the Maldives and arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).
Police said the suspect, a resident of Ethulgama, was returned to Sri Lanka on July 04 under the supervision of a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team. Upon his arrival, he was identified through the airport’s automated biometric E-gate system and immediately arrested before being transferred to the Western Province South Crime Division for further questioning.
The suspect had been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued following his departure from the country after the killings.
According to investigators, the man is believed to have played a significant role in the double murder that took place on February 13, 2026 within the Thalangama Police Division. The victims, a lawyer and his wife, were travelling in their vehicle when they were ambushed and shot dead. Detectives allege that the suspect was responsible for driving the escape vehicle used by the gunmen after the attack.
Police further revealed that the suspect has a history of criminal offences and was on strict bail in relation to two separate cases when the murders were allegedly carried out. He had previously been arrested by the Malwathuhiripitiya Police in October 2025 for allegedly possessing a T-56 assault rifle without lawful authority before being granted strict bail by the Minuwangoda Magistrate’s Court.
He was later arrested again by the Welikada Police in December 2025 over the alleged possession of heroin and was also released on strict bail by the relevant Magistrate’s Court.
Investigations are continuing as officers from the Western Province South Crime Division seek to establish the full extent of the suspect’s alleged involvement in the Akuregoda murders and his suspected links to the organised criminal group believed to have orchestrated the attack.