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Undercover op to nab underworld queenpin planned in utmost secrecy
View(s):- ASP Olugala reveals the story behind the arrest of Sewwandi
By Ishu Bandara
The month-long mission, carried out under absolute secrecy by the Sri Lankan Police, ended successfully with the arrest of Red Notice-listed suspect Pinpura Dewage Ishara Sewwandi Weerasingha in Nepal on October 14.
Aged 26, Sewwandi was the key suspect and mastermind behind the killing of underworld gangster Sanjeewa Kumara Samararathne, alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa, inside the Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court in Colombo on February 19 this year.
Along with her, five other suspects, allegedly linked to drug gangs, were also arrested in Nepal. They were identified as Jeevathasan Kanakarasa, alias Jaffna Suresh (33); Thakshi Nanthakumar (23); Dinesh Shyamantha De Silva, alias Nugegoda Babi (49); Kenedy Bastiampillai, alias JK Bai (35); and Dinesh Nisantha Kumara Wikkrama Arachchige, alias Gampaha Baba (43). All six suspects were brought back to Sri Lanka on October 15.
Sewwandi arriving at the BIA. Pic by T.K.G. Kapila
The lead officer behind the undercover operation was Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rohan Olugala of the Western Province North Crimes Division. He rose to prominence after he led a police team to Indonesia to track down five of Sri Lanka’s most wanted suspects linked to underworld drug networks.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, he explained how it all happened:
“Since some details of our Indonesia mission were leaked during the operation, we were more circumspect this time to maintain secrecy. We left our phones behind in Sri Lanka to avoid any information leaks. I pretended to be sick, and no one knew about this mission except CID Inspector Gihan Chandima, who accompanied me; the President; the IGP; and the CID chief, Senior Deputy Inspector General Asanka Karawita. We planned this operation for over a month.
“When we arrived in Nepal, we were received by Acting Sri Lankan Ambassador Chameera Munasinghe, who gave us immense support to ensure the success of our mission. We then discussed the details of our operation with Interpol and the Nepal Police criminal investigation unit and planned the operation together.
“Although an Interpol Red Notice had been issued only for Sewwandi, we also had intelligence on two other criminals who had not been red noticed. Strategically, our first arrest was Kenedy Bastiampillai, also known as J.K. Bai, in the Thamel area of Nepal, as he was the one who brought Sewwandi into Nepal from India.”
According to ASP Olugala, after the killing of Ganemulla Sanjeewa by her accomplice, Sewwandi first went to Negombo and then to Mathugama, where she stayed for nearly a month. She later moved to Middeniya, staying there for more than a month before travelling to Jaffna. After three days in Jaffna, she left for India — first by dinghy, and then, after a two-hour journey, by a larger boat to which she was transferred mid-sea. In India, she stayed for three days, during which she obtained a fraudulent Indian identity card that enabled her to cross into Nepal.
Since she was brought back from Nepal to Sri Lanka on 15 October, the CID has been questioning her under a detention order and visiting the locations where she was hiding in Sri Lanka. The CID has been able to gather crucial information on various criminal and drug-related cases.
During her stay in Nepal, Sewwandi met Gampaha Baba and Nugegoda Babi. The duo planned to send her to Europe via Dubai. JK Bai instructed Jaffna Suresh to arrange a fake passport for her, using a woman from Chavakachcheri with a similar facial structure. The passport photo would then be exchanged so that Sewwandi could travel to Europe. “However, after we arrested Kehelbaddara Padme in Indonesia, all their plans were abandoned. All these individuals were linked to Padme’s criminal group and were involved in various criminal activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking,” ASP Olugala told the Sunday Times.
He added that after Padme’s arrest, underworld members decided not to disclose their whereabouts, ensuring that if one was caught, they couldn’t reveal the location of the others. “We initially thought that arresting J.K. Bai would make it easier to locate the rest, but that proved false—they had camouflaged their trails well. We had to trace phone numbers, obtain IP addresses, and go through a long process to arrest the remaining suspects in this case,” he explained.
In the Bhaktapur District’s Thibbos Park area, Sewwandi was found in a luxury heritage house. Before arresting her, the team spent the entire night at a nearby hotel to zero in on the location. After her arrest, Jaffna Suresh and Takshi were arrested in the New Buspark area of Gongabu, Kathmandu. In Thamel, Kathmandu, Nugegoda Babi and Gampaha Baba were arrested, according to ASP Olugala.
“We are deeply grateful to the acting Sri Lankan Ambassador, Ms Munasinghe, for the support during the mission,” he said.
“The wholehearted support of our embassy officials in Nepal was crucial to the success of our mission. We urge other Sri Lankan embassies to extend similar assistance and help us protect the country from serious threats such as drug trafficking and organised crime.”
According to Police Media Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler, Sri Lanka’s police are in contact with Interpol to track down 22 other Sri Lankan underworld suspects wanted for drug-related murders and currently residing in foreign countries.
According to ASP. Olugala, Sewwandi, J.K. Bai, Jaffna Suresh, and Thakshi have been handed over to the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) for further questioning under a detention order. Gampaha Baba has been handed over to the Kelaniya Divisional Crime Detective Bureau, while Nugegoda Babi is in the custody of the Mirihana Special Investigation Unit for further investigation.
| 4 suspects who helped Sewvandi arrested, amidst continuing police crackdown on crime The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) last week arrested four suspects who had helped Sewwandi, to evade arrest. A 52-year-old woman, who owned the house where Sewwandi was hiding, and her 31-year-old nephew, who is married to her daughter, were arrested on October 16 and 17, respectively. Both are residents of the Weli Penna area. The nephew has been identified as a police constable attached to the Traffic Division of the Aluthgama Police. Police said the constable was arrested for knowingly withholding information about Sewwandi’s whereabouts while she was in hiding. Further investigations revealed that the woman’s son is closely associated with an underworld figure known as Mathugama Shan. It was apparently on Mathugama Shan’s request that Sewwandi was allowed to stay at her residence residence. Another suspect from Dodangoda was also arrested for providing shelter to Sewwandi after she left Mathugama. He is said to be a classmate of Mathugama Shan and was taken into custody by the CCD. Investigations further revealed that Sewwandi had stayed in Mideniya for nearly a month, where she was assisted by another underworld figure known as Bachko Saman in finding a place to hide. The CCD later arrested the owner of that house as well. Police have also discovered that after leaving Mideniya, Sewwandi had travelled to Vavuniya and Jaffna before attempting to flee to India by boat. Meanwhile Police continue to carry out daily islandwide operations to hunt down suspects involved in crimes and drugs. Recent Police statistics show the results of the nationwide crime crackdown conducted from January 1 this year to October 13. A total of 5.7 million people were questioned during the operations, representing roughly one in four Sri Lankans. Police had apprehended 120,000 suspects for further questioning. About 35,035 suspects were arrested on open warrants while 4,082 were arrested for criminal activities. Police had seized Rs. 730 million in assets during the crackdown. In relation to operations abroad, the Sri Lanka Police had issued 40 red notices, which led to 18 fugitives being returned to the country so far this year. A total of 1,996 firearms were seized,including 69 pistols, 50 revolvers, and 66 T-56 rifles. Drug enforcement operations resulted in the seizure of 14,281 kg of Cannabis, 1,863 kg of Crystal methamphetamine (Ice), 1,268 kg of Heroin, 552 kg of Hashish, 31 kg of Cocaine, and 3.5 million narcotic pills and capsules. The police also filed 47,600 drunk driving cases during this period. Between 2021 and 2024, Police focused on organised criminal financial networks. During that period, assets worth an estimated Rs. 3.9 billion were confiscated. Seized items included Rs. 670 million in cash, 35 houses, 37 acres of land, 72 vehicles, and 354 gold sovereigns. Police emphasised that these efforts show its ongoing commitment to combat crime, drug trafficking, and organised criminal networks. Additional reporting by Thusitha Kumara de Silva
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