Police have arrested a suspect and seized a foreign-made revolver in connection with a shooting incident in Dehiwala that killed one person and injured another, authorities said on Friday.
The suspect, a 35-year-old resident of Dehiwala, was arrested in the Kottawa police area on Jan. 23 by officers of the Western Province South Crimes Division, police said in a statement.
Investigators said the suspect was the second gunman involved in the Dec. 6 shooting at Weratanna Road, Dehiwala. A second suspect, who allegedly used a locally made firearm, was arrested earlier and remains in remand custody.
Police said the suspect was a former soldier who had been discharged from the army in 2013 and was later traced through questioning. The revolver used in the crime was recovered from a deserted house in the Dehiwala police area.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect was also involved in a separate shooting incident on Dec. 30 in the Kohuwala police area, where a 16-year-old girl was injured in an attempted murder, police said.
Authorities said both crimes were carried out under the direction of an organised crime and narcotics network figure currently believed to be overseas.
The suspect is due to be produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court on Jan. 24, while investigations are continuing. (Newswire)