Sri Lanka has recorded 79 shooting incidents over the past seven months, resulting in 52 deaths and 260 arrests, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Friday.
The shootings occurred between September 21, 2024, and May 8, 2025. Wijepala said 62 of the incidents were linked to organized criminal gangs, while 17 were classified as other types of shootings.
Of the 260 arrested, 229 were connected directly to organized crime, the minister said.
Wijepala said the government has implemented measures to combat organized crime and maintained that crime rates have not risen significantly compared to 2022 and 2023. He acknowledged that any loss of life is tragic but rejected claims of a sharp increase in shootings since the new administration took office. (Newswire)