Sri Lanka Police have released details of two suspects who were arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) after being deported from Dubai.
The suspects, aged 25 and 40, were taken into custody by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers upon arrival and handed over to separate investigation units for further inquiries.
Police said the 25-year-old suspect, a resident of Colombo 15, was identified through the airport’s facial recognition system. He is also the brother of alleged organised crime figure and drug trafficker “Dematagoda Nipuna”.
According to Police, he had previously been arrested for possessing cannabis in 2019 and was later arrested in connection with an assault involving a club and a sharp weapon in Modara in 2020. He was also wanted on a warrant issued by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court in 2022.
The second suspect, a 40-year-old resident of Colombo 14, is linked to a number of serious criminal investigations.
Police said he had faced court proceedings over an assault case in Nugegoda in 2010, was arrested with heroin in Kelaniya the same year, and has been identified as a suspect in a 2015 shooting and murder case in Colombo.
He is also accused of aiding and abetting the 2016 shooting at a prison transport bus in Maligawatte and was previously remanded after surrendering through a lawyer with a firearm and ammunition.
In addition, Police said he has been identified as a suspect in a 2018 Grandpass shooting that left one person dead and another seriously injured.
Further investigations are being conducted by the Central Crimes Investigation Bureau and the Colombo North Crimes Investigation Division. (Newswire)
