Beliatta mass shooting: Suspect arrested with T-56 magazine
February 9, 2024 07:09 pm
The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has arrested a man who was in possession of a T-56 magazine, which is suspected to have been used in the Beliatta mass shooting in which five people were killed.
Police stated that the suspect, identified as “Samika”, is a close associate of organized criminal notoriously known as “Kosgoda Sujee”.
Police have also taken custody of 32 rounds of live ammunition and a magazine of the firearm which is suspected to have been used in the crime, hidden in a cinnamon field behind the arrested suspect’s house.
Investigations have revealed that the relevant firearm was provided to the suspect by “Kosgoda Sujee”.
Furthermore, police have uncovered that the suspect in question, who joined the Sri Lanka Light Infantry in 2008, had been absent from duty without permission since 2009. Police also revealed that he is now a drug addict.
Police are conducting further investigations regarding the suspect, under a 72-hour detention order, so as to determine whether he has committed any offenses under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment).
Meanwhile, the police have found a car which is said to have been used to transport the assailants involved in the quintuple murder. The vehicle was found abandoned in the Dummalasuriya area.
The Police Special Task Force has also arrested the person who prepared fake vehicle registration plates for the SUV in which the suspects were traveling.
The mass shooting took place on January 23 near the Beliatta interchange of the Southern Expressway.
A group of assailants in an SUV had opened fire at a white Defender, killing four persons at the scene. The fifth person who was inside the Defender was rushed to the Tangalle Hospital with critical gunshot wounds, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.
Among the deceased was the leader of “Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya” (Our Power of People Party or OPPP) Saman Perera. The other four victims were identified as Sameera Madhusanka, Hasitha Chinsuka, Buddhika Rajapaksha, and Nalin Champika.
The SUV used in the shooting was later found while parked near the Vidyaloka Pirivena in Galle.
Among the suspects arrested thus far are the driver of the SUV, as well as the wife and the father of the main shooter who was identified as a retired naval person now on the run.
