Dhammika Niroshana, also known as ‘Jonty,’ a former captain of Sri Lanka’s Under-19 cricket team, was shot dead last night (16) in Ambalangoda.
The shooting occurred at around 9.30 p.m. yesterday in front of the victim’s house at Kande Mawatha in Bogahawatte, Ambalangoda.
Niroshana was shot by an assailant who was armed with a 12-bore rifle, while he had been shot in the head killing him instantly.
The shooting took place as the victim was preparing to leave his house to attend a funeral ceremony.
The shooter had fired from near an abandoned plot of land near the victim’s house and had then fled the scene on foot.
Niroshana, a 41-year-old father of two, had captained the Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket team in 2002.
He had been living overseas for a period before returning to the country and was reportedly planning to travel abroad once again.
The incident unfolded when a resident had alerted Niroshana regarding a suspicious individual loitering near his home in the abandoned property.
Police suspect the murder may be linked to a past dispute at an illegal gambling venue, as Niroshana was involved in organising such gambling activities at funerals and had received threats to his life prior to the incident.
