September 11, Colombo (LNW): Authorities have taken two individuals into custody in connection with separate firearm-related incidents that recently shook communities in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.
The arrests, carried out in two coordinated operations, represent the latest in an intensified police crackdown on escalating gun crime and gang-related violence across the region.
In the first operation, officers from the Western Province South Crimes Division arrested a 22-year-old man in Attidiya on the evening of 10 September. He is suspected of playing a key logistical role in a fatal shooting that took place on August 24 in Boralesgamuwa. During that attack, an assailant travelling in a three-wheeler shot and killed a man on Malani Bulathsinhala Mawatha before fleeing the scene.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect arrested in Attidiya may have been the driver of the three-wheeler used during the attack. He is reportedly a resident of Mount Lavinia. Police sources say he was tracked down following a detailed analysis of CCTV footage and mobile phone data, though further evidence is still being gathered to confirm his exact involvement.
The second arrest took place in Ragama, where a 17-year-old youth from Aramangoda, Buthpitiya, was taken into custody by officers from the Police Special Task Force Intelligence Unit. This arrest relates to a shooting incident reported on August 22 in the Seewalipura area of Borella.
According to law enforcement, the teenager is believed to be closely linked to a known figure within the local criminal underworld, who is allegedly involved in both organised crime and narcotics trafficking. His arrest followed a targeted intelligence-led raid and he has since been handed over to the Ragama Police for continued questioning.
