30 January 2021 12:00 am
By K.S. Fernando, Kusal Chamath and H.M. Dharmapala
Police investigations are underway in connection with the shooting that took place at Pallimulla in Panaduwa on January 25 and to ascertain whether it was a mis-identification shooting over a contract.
Police suspect that the shooting was a contract killing and a result of a clash between two rival groups carrying on the contraband trade of drug peddling in Moratuwa and Ratmalana areas.
It is suspected that the gunmen had shot dead an innocent fish seller instead due to mistaken identity.
Investigations revealed that the shooters had rented out a house a week before the shooting. The police arrested the owner of the house following the incident.
He said the Mount Lavinia Division Crime Investigation Unit had recovered a T56 rifle and 16 live cartridges allegedly used by the gunman.
Panadura North police earlier had arrested several suspects who provided vital information on the killing.
However the gunman and his accomplice were yet to be arrested. Meanwhile, Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said that special police teams have been deployed to arrest the shooters. OIC Mount Lavinia Crime Investigation Unit CI Pushpakumara Ferdinando, SI Neil Priyantha, SI Asela Prasad Seneviratne, are conducting further investigations on the instructions of HQI Dileepa C. Perera, SP Samantha Wedage and SSP Rohan Premaratne.