A man suspected to be the gunman in the murder of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara was arrested today in Nawinna, Maharagama, police said. The arrest was carried out during a joint operation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), with support from the State Intelligence Service.
Earlier today, six other suspects linked to the murder were also apprehended. In addition, two suspects were arrested in Galle by the Matara Divisional Crime Detective Bureau, while another individual, a three-wheeler driver from Hiyare, Galle, was taken into custody for allegedly aiding the gunmen before and after the attack. Police stated he had provided transport and money to the gunmen and received Rs. 20,000 for his assistance.
On Wednesday (22), Chairman Wickramasekara was shot dead inside his office at the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha. CCTV footage revealed the gunman, dressed in a white shirt and black face mask, firing four shots at the chairman before fleeing on a motorcycle with an accomplice. The chairman sustained fatal injuries to the head, chest, and abdomen and later died at Matara General Hospital.
Following the murder, multiple police teams, under the direct supervision of SDIG Kithsiri Jayalath, conducted coordinated operations across the country. In a raid at the 50-House Scheme area, Kekirawa, officers from the FCID, Special Task Force (STF), and Sri Lanka Army arrested a male and female suspect, recovered a motorcycle used in the murder, Rs. 1.2 million in cash, heroin and crystal meth, and equipment used for drug consumption.
The ongoing investigation involves several police teams, with the CID, FCID, and Southern Province Senior DIGs overseeing the operation to apprehend all individuals involved in the high-profile murder.
