Thirty (30) individuals have been injured in a head-on collision between two buses near the Hettiarachchi Bend in Beliatta early this morning.

According to the Police, a private bus travelling from Dickwella to Beliatta had crashed into a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus travelling in the opposite direction.

The passengers in the buses, who were injured in the accident, have been admitted to the Tangalle and Beliatta Hospitals. 

The Beliatta Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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The Police have sought public assistance to find a woman reported missing from the Puwakdandawa area in Beliatta since 26 January 2025.

According to the Police, the missing person is a 48-year-old woman identified as Wasanthi, who is 5 feet in height.

The public with information on the whereabouts of the woman has been requested to contact the Police via the hotlines 071-8591497 or  047-2243222. (Newswire)

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The Beliatta Police recovered two hand grenades from a plot of land attached to a Buddhist Temple in the Nihaluwa area in Pattiyawela on Monday. 

The Police said an explosion had taken place when a tractor was used to clean an area of the land yesterday. 

Following inspection, two unexploded hand grenades had been found after which the Beliatta Police had been informed. 

After having reported facts to the Tangalle Magistrate’s Court in this regard, Police Special Task Force personnel disarmed and disposed of the hand grenades. (Newswire)

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Two accomplices of the main suspect involved in the mass shooting in Beliatta in January, have been remanded. 

According to media reports, the wife of the main gunman and her father have been remanded until February 21, 2024.

They were remanded after being produced before the Attanagalla Magistrate’s Court today.

Several suspects have been apprehended in connection to the mass shooting that took place on January 22. 

Five persons, including the Leader of the ‘Our Peoples Party’ Saman Perera were killed in the shooting. (NewsWire)

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Another suspect has been apprehended in connection to the mass shooting in Beliatta in January in which five persons were killed.

The Police said the suspect had been arrested after surrendering to the Beliatta Police via a lawyer yesterday.

The suspect is a 24-year-old resident of Imbulgoda, Akuressa. 

The Biallatta Police is conducting further investigations into the shooting. 

Five persons, including the leader of the ‘Our People Party’ Saman Perera, were killed in the shooting that occurred on January 22, 2024. (NewsWire)

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Another suspect has been apprehended for aiding and abetting the mass shooting that was reported in Beliatta on January 22, 2024.

According to the Police, the suspect was arrested by the Police Child and Women Bureau officials on Sunday (Feb 04).

The suspect, who is a 28-year-old resident of Rathgama, was arrested in the Habaraduwa area. 

He has been handed over to the Beliatta Police, who are conducting further investigations into the shooting. 

Five persons, including the leader of the ‘Our Peoples Party’ Saman Perera, were killed in the shooting in Beliatta. (NewsWire)

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Three more suspects have been nabbed for aiding and abetting the shootings in Beliatta in which five persons were killed recently.

The Police said two suspects were apprehended in the Hungama Police Division, while one suspect was arrested in the Matara Police Division on Monday (Jan 29).

The arrested suspects are aged 28, 42, and 58 years, and are residents of Negombo, Alawwa, and Boossa. 

The Police said the suspects had aided in disposing of the T-56 firearm that was used in the shootings, while they had also been involved in the cash transfers made in connection to the shootings. 

The suspects have been handed over to the Beliatta Police for further investigations into the incident. 

Five persons, including the Leader of the ‘Our Peoples Party’ Saman Perera were killed in the mass shooting in Beliatta on January 22, 2024. (NewsWire)

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Two women have been apprehended for aiding and abetting the shootings in Beliatta last week (Jan 22), in which five persons were killed.

The Police said the women were arrested in the Rathgama area by a Police team from Hakmana yesterday.

The women are aged 23 and 33 years and are residents of the Boossa area in Galle.

Investigations have revealed that one woman had transported the two firearms used in the shooting on a motorcycle belonging to her from Karapitiya to Boossa.

The Hakmana Police is conducting further investigations.

Five persons, including the Leader of the ‘Our Peoples Party’ Saman Perera were killed in the mass shooting in Beliatta.  (NewsWire)

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A 34-year-old man has been arrested for aiding the shooters involved in the murder of five persons in Beliatta recently (Jan 22).

The Police said the suspect from Rathgama was apprehended on the Dhodanduwa Road in Rathgama by a team of Police Officers from Hakmana on Friday (Jan 26).

The suspect is reported to have received from the chief suspect the two T-56 weapons that were used in the shooting and had transported the firearms from Akuressa to Karapitiya.

The Police have also taken into custody the motorcycle used to transport the weapons and two mobile phones used by the suspect.

The suspect has been handed over to the Beliatta Police for further investigation. The Police have obtained a detention order under which the suspect will be detained for seven days for interrogations. 

Five persons, including the Leader of the ‘Our Peoples Party’ Saman Perera were killed in the mass shooting in Beliatta. 

The shooting is suspected to be a retaliation move over a triple murder in Tangalle last year. (NewsWire)

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Two more individuals, suspected to have aided and abetted the Beliatta multiple murders, have been arrested. 

The Police said the suspects were arrested by the Police Special Task Force in Wanchawala, Galle. 

The suspects were reportedly found to be in possession of a stock of heroin at the time of their arrest. 

Meanwhile, more information has been revealed on the mass murder following interrogations of the suspect ‘Saman Kumara’ who was arrested on Wednesday in connection to the shooting.

The suspect, who operated as the driver of the SUV at the time of the shootings, has revealed that there were two shooters involved in the incident and that they were both dropped off at Akuressa and Kamburupitiya following the incident.

Furthermore, a motorcycle and a minivan were found based on the suspect’s confession, with the motorcycle being used to transport the weapons used in the shooting, and the minivan for the suspects to escape following the murders.

The suspect has further divulged that he was contacted by a shooter working for an underworld figure living in Dubai, and plans were made to carry out the murders near the Tangalle Magistrate’s Court. 

Five persons, including the Leader of the ‘Our Peoples Party’ Saman Perera were killed in the shootings carried out in Beliatta on Monday (Jan 22). (NewsWire)

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An individual has been arrested in connection to the incident of five people being shot dead in Beliatta on Monday (Jan 22).

The Ministry of Public Security said the suspect is a 54-year-old man identified as Saman Kumara. 

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect had driven the SUV at the time of the shooting and that he had also planned the murders. 

The suspect was arrested by a Police Team from Matara, while they had also seized the Pajero Mitsubishi jeep used to carry out the shooting.

Fiver persons, including the Leader of the Our Peoples Party Saman Perera, were killed in the shooting reported in Beliatta.

The suspects had followed the victims who were travelling in a Defender and had opened fire at them after they had stopped for refreshments after exiting the Southern Expressway in Beliatta. The suspects had then fled the scene in the same SUV.

Police investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of the shooting, which is suspected to be a retaliation move over a triple murder in Tangalle last year. (NewsWire)

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The Police have recovered the vehicle suspected to have been used in the murder of five persons in Beliatta on Monday (Jan 22).

The SUV has been found in a car park in front of the Vidyaloka Pirivena in Galle. 

The vehicle has been taken into custody by a special Police team that had arrived from Matara. 

Fiver persons, including the Leader of the Our Peoples Party Saman Perera, were killed in the shooting reported in Beliatta.

The suspects had followed the victims who were travelling in a Defender and had opened fire at them after they had stopped for refreshments after exiting the Southern Expressway in Beliatta. 

The suspects had then fled the scene in the same SUV, which has now been found abandoned in Galle. 

Police investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of the shooting, which is suspected to be a retaliation move over a triple murder in Tangalle last year. (NewsWire)

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CCTV footage has been released to the media on the activities of the suspect in the aftermath of the Beliatta mass shooting yesterday.

According to the footage, the suspect is dropped off at a location by the SUV that was used in the shooting.

He is later seen walking along several roads along with a backpack. 

Fiver persons, including the Leader of the Our Peoples Party Saman Perera, were killed in the shooting reported last morning.

The Police have launched investigations to ascertain the cause of the shooting, which is suspected to be a retaliation move over a triple murder in Tangalle last year. (NewsWire)

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The leader of the “Ape Janabala party” Saman Perera is among the five individuals shot dead in Beliatta, the Police confirmed.

Prominent Buddhist Monks Athuraliye Rathana Thera and Galagodatte Gnansara Thera contested the last parliamentary elections under Saman Perera’s “Ape Janabala party” (Our Peoples Party) which won one seat in the election.

According to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the shooting had taken place while the victims were travelling in a Defender.

SSP Thalduwa told NewsWire that the defender had travelled from Colombo and had exited through the Beliatta interchange and had stopped on the side of the road.

He further said that an individual in a pickup truck that had arrived behind had shot at the driver while he was getting down from the vehicle, while he had also shot at the other passengers in the defender.

Initially, four of the passengers in the Defender had died in the shooting, while it was later reported that another individual who was hospitalised with injuries had succumbed to injuries, taking the death toll to five.

The Police are conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)

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The leader of the “Ape Janabala party” Saman Perera is among the five individuals shot dead in Beliatta, the Police confirmed.

Prominent Buddhist Monks Athuraliye Rathana Thera and Galagodatte Gnansara Thera contested the last parliamentary elections under Saman Perera’s “Ape Janabala party” which won one seat in the election.

According to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the shooting had taken place while the victims were travelling in a defender.

SSP Thalduwa told NewsWire that the defender had travelled from Colombo and had exited through the Beliatta interchange and had stopped on the side of the road.

He further said that an individual in a pickup truck that had arrived behind had shot at the driver while he was getting down from the vehicle, while he had also shot at the other passengers in the defender.

Initially, four of the passengers in the Defender had died in the shooting, while it was later reported that another individual who was hospitalised with injuries had succumbed to injuries, taking the death toll to five.

The Police are conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)

Four people were reported dead in a shooting incident that was reported near the Beliatta exit on the Southern Expressway.

Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa told NewsWire that the shooting had taken place while the victims were travelling in a defender.

He further said that another person who was injured in the incident has been hospitalise.

SSP Thalduwa said the defender had travelled from Colombo and had exited through the Beliatta interchange and had stopped on the side of the road.

He further said that an individual from a pickup truck that had arrived behind had shot at the driver while he was getting down from the vehicle, while he had also shot at the other passengers in the defender.

The Police are conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)

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