September 11, Colombo (LNW): A renewed call for justice has emerged in the controversial death of Makandure Madush, a figure long associated with organised crime, who was killed under murky circumstances while in police custody nearly five years ago.
His widow, Gayani Muthumali, has now lodged an official complaint at Police Headquarters, urging authorities to conduct an independent and transparent inquiry into the events that led to his death.
Speaking to the reporters after submitting her statement, Muthumali voiced serious doubts about the official narrative, insisting that the death of her husband was not only suspicious but emblematic of a deeper rot within the justice system.
“For over a year and a half, he remained in custody,” she said. “If he had been tried and sentenced through the courts, we would have accepted that. But to die without due process, to be killed as if his life had no worth, while supposedly under state protection—there is something gravely wrong with that.”
Muthumali also pointed out that a motorbike, reportedly linked to a rival gang, was found at the scene of the incident, yet no updates have been given on any follow-up investigations or suspects. “We’ve waited for five years. We’ve heard nothing. All we want is for the truth to come out,” she added.
When questioned about her prolonged silence, she admitted that she had previously been reluctant to step forward. “At the time, I didn’t feel safe, and I wasn’t prepared to speak. But today, I have some faith that there is space in this country for justice to prevail. That’s why I chose to act now.”
Muthumali is being supported by Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera, who claims that Madush had been cooperating with authorities for over a year before his death, allegedly providing sensitive details about illegal activities involving individuals in positions of power—ranging from police officers to prominent political figures.
Perera warned that there had been attempts to suppress this information, suggesting that Madush’s death may have been part of a broader effort to silence him. “We are not making wild accusations,” he said. “We are calling for a proper investigation into how a detainee under state protection ends up dead, under circumstances that have never been clearly explained.”
Madush’s journey through the justice system began in early 2019 when he was apprehended in Dubai during an international sting operation. He was deported to Sri Lanka and initially held by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from May 2019. Months later, in October 2020, he was transferred to the Colombo Crimes Division. Merely four days after this handover, on 20 October, he was shot and killed during a police operation in Maligawatte, where officers claimed he had been taken to identify a concealed drug cache.
The official explanation has done little to satisfy critics. Questions linger over operational procedures, accountability, and the timing of the fatal encounter.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Deputy Labour Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe made a startling remark in Parliament on September 09, suggesting that Madush had access to confidential information implicating over 80 politicians in large-scale narcotics trafficking.
In light of this, Madush’s death is increasingly being viewed not just as the end of a criminal career, but as a potential act of silencing—one that may have been orchestrated to prevent damaging disclosures from reaching the public domain.
