More details have emerged into the fatal shooting of a manager at a commercial establishment in Ambalangoda on Monday (22), as police investigations point to organised crime links and longstanding criminal associations.
Police said the victim, a resident of Ambalangoda, was shot dead inside the premises where he was employed at around 8.30 a.m. on December 22.
CCTV footage examined by investigators shows a gunman arriving at the location and attempting to shoot the victim, but the firearm malfunctioned. The suspect then fled the scene. A short time later, the gunman returned with another revolver and opened fire, killing the victim at the scene, police said.
The suspect escaped on a motorcycle, which was later found abandoned in a by-road in the Andagalla area. CCTV footage has also captured the motorcycle being ridden through several side roads following the shooting, police added.
Investigators suspect the killing was linked to organised crime activity. Police confirmed that the victim had contested the last local government election for the Ambalangoda Urban Council from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Further investigations have revealed that the victim had been implicated in two homicide cases reported in 2014 and 2015. Police also said he had previously been arrested by the Police Narcotics Bureau in possession of a stock of live ammunition.
Investigators said the victim had also been taken into custody in connection with aiding and abetting a previous shooting targeting a prison transport bus in Kalutara, during which an underworld figure was killed. Police allege that he had assisted in sheltering and providing treatment to injured suspects following that incident.
Police said the victim’s mobile phone went missing after the shooting and was later recovered from a relative during a search conducted by the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Elpitiya Division.
An examination of the phone revealed that the victim had been in contact with multiple organised crime figures, including individuals currently detained at a high-security prison.
Investigators said he had also maintained links with rival criminal factions, making it difficult to determine which group may have ordered the killing.
Police said there is information suggesting the victim may have been involved in managing financial activities linked to organised crime networks.
The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Southern Province, with officers from the Elpitiya Division and the Galle Crimes Division leading the inquiry. (Newswire)