Police arrest 44 shooters over 114 shooting incidents in 2025

Sri Lanka Police have arrested 44 shooters wanted in connection with 114 shooting incidents reported last year, as intensified operations continue to track down remaining suspects linked to gun violence.  

Sri Lanka recorded a sharp rise in gun-related crimes in 2025, surpassing the previous year in both incidents and casualties. Police statistics show that the 114 shootings reported islandwide resulted in 60 deaths and 57 injuries. More than 73 percent of these incidents were linked to organised crime syndicates and drug trafficking rivalries, police said.  

Under directives issued by Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, police operations last year led to the arrest of 385 suspects connected to serious crimes, including shootings.  

Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said that those arrested include 44 shooters and 34 pillion riders, while 307 suspects were taken into custody for aiding and abetting shooting incidents.  

He said that police operations were significantly intensified in 2025 compared to previous years, resulting in a sharp increase in firearm seizures. Police recovered 75 T-56 assault rifles in 2025, compared to 25 seized in 2024. In addition, 88 pistols were recovered last year, up from 42 in 2024.  Police also seized 62 revolvers in 2025, compared to 39 revolvers seized in 2024, the spokesman added.  

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has witnessed a series of fatal shootings in January 2026, leaving four people dead and four others injured, including two children. Police said many of these incidents are linked to organised crime and underworld rivalries.  

The latest shooting was reported on Saturday night, January 17, in Alawwa, where a 28-year-old man was found dead with gunshot wounds beside a motorcycle along the Wilgamuwa–Morawalapitiya road. Police said four shooting-related incidents had been recorded as of Saturday.  The year began with a New Year’s Eve shooting in Nawagamuwa, which killed a 20-year-old youth and injured two others. A suspect was later arrested in Borella for allegedly aiding the attack, which police say was orchestrated by an overseas-based criminal.  

On January 9, A.D. Sanath Balasuriya Arachchi, 55, popularly known as Sana Maama and owner of the Sea Shark tourist hotel on Marine Drive in Dehiwala, was shot dead in front of his premises. Police said two individuals who were consuming alcohol at the location opened fire, striking the victim in the head and chest.  Preliminary investigations indicate the killing may be linked to a long-standing underworld rivalry involving drug traffickers Badovita Asanka and Chuwa Samantha, with whom the victim was allegedly associated. Police have released an AI-generated composite image of the suspected shooter and have appealed to the public for information.  

On January 16, when a 44-year-old man was shot dead in Jinthupitiya, Colombo, while two children aged three and four sustained gunshot injuries.