News
Underworld executions and police killings mar year
A shootout between police and robbers, a string of murders caused by gang rivalry, the recent killing of two policemen at a checkpoint and numerous armed robberies were among major crime incidents reported this year.
A policeman was killed during a shootout in Matara on June 22 in which three other police officers were injured. The incident occurred when they gave chase to a gang that had attempted to rob a jewellery shop in the area.
The latest shooting incident that shocked the country was the brutal murder of two policemen in Vavunathivu in the Batticaloa district on November 30. The victims were shot dead while on duty at the Vavunathivu roadblock.
A former LTTE cadre and another person have been arrested in connection of incident but the weapons removed from the policemen have not been recovered.
A string of underworld clashes resulted in multiple deaths during the year. A key incident was the killing of two individuals on March 19, reportedly carried out on the instructions of underworld drug kingpin Makandure Madush, who is living overseas.
Another incident was reported on March 7 when the decapitated head of an underworld member identified as “Kos Malli” was found near the court complex in Hulftsdorp while the rest of his body was discovered on March 19 in Angunukolapelassa, in the Hambantota district.
A member of the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council, K. Ranjan Silva, was shot dead on May 24 in Ratmalana. The incident left two others injured. Mr. Silva was the father of national cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva.
A 40-year old woman succumbed to wounds after she was shot at Weligampitiya on September 30 by a gang who mistook her vehicle for one belonging to a gang member from Minuwangoda.
Police said the main suspect in the incident committed suicide by jumping into the Dadugama Oya in Ja-ela while under police escort following his arrest on October 6.
Several acts of robbery and theft also contributed to the crime wave this year.
A gang of armed burglars looted a state bank in Anuradhapura in July, stealing cash and jewellery worth Rs. 96 million. It was reported that the robbers had also removed the CCTV system installed in the building.
Rs. 8 million was stolen from automated teller machines at Ja-ela and Negombo in June by two individuals who were later arrested.
A string of killings in Modera, Mattakkuliya and Grandpass related to rivalry among underworld members also occurred in the past three months, the latest of them on December 24 in the Grandpass area.