The Colombo High Court has sentenced two former Police officers and a civilian to rigorous imprisonment over charges of robbery stemming from a brawl at a restaurant in Dehiwala in 2008.

Delivering judgment after a lengthy trial, High Court Judge Rashmi Singappuli ruled that the charges had been proven. 

The Attorney General had filed the case against the three accused, alleging their involvement in robbery following the altercation.

The civilian found guilty was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment, while the two former Police officers were each handed three‑year rigorous prison terms. (Newswire)

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A 25‑year‑old resident of Attidiya has been arrested in connection with two violent crimes, an attempted murder in Dehiwala and a firearm intimidation incident in Mount Lavinia, following a raid by the Western Province Southern Division Crimes Investigation Unit.

The Police said that on July 19, two unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at a cemetery in Dehiwala in an attempt to kill a man. In a separate incident in Mount Lavinia, a firearm was aimed to threaten and assault a victim. 

Investigations linked the motorcycle rider involved in both crimes to an organized criminal currently overseas.

Acting on intelligence, officers arrested the suspect last morning (26) in Delkanda, Mirihana Police division. He was found in possession of 7.200 grams of ICE narcotics. 

During questioning, Police recovered three mobile phones used in the crimes and Rs. 55,000 , part of Rs. 200,000 allegedly paid to him for the operations.

The Western Province Southern Division Crimes Investigation Unit is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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Five beach access roads in Dehiwala have been formally named as part of a new initiative to accurately identify and map public routes to Sri Lanka’s beaches. 

According to the Ministry of Environment, the move is designed to prevent illegal coastal encroachments and obstructions, ensuring the public’s and tourists’ right to unobstructed beach access. 

Officials noted that the system will also help rescue teams reach locations more quickly during natural disasters or emergencies along the coastline.

Alongside the road‑naming, several environmental programmes were rolled out, including the planting of coastal‑resilient vegetation to maintain ecological balance and minimize erosion caused by waves and winds. Deep‑rooted plants are expected to enhance biodiversity while creating a natural green barrier against harsh sunlight and saline winds. 

A massive community cleanup campaign (Shramadana) was also launched to remove plastics and polythene, transforming Mount Lavinia beach into a cleaner, safer zone.

The series of conservation activities was held on Thursday (11) around Dehiwala beach under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, coinciding with World Environment Day. 

Parallel to these efforts, the Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management organized the World Environment Day commemoration ceremony at the S. de S. Jayasinghe Hall of the Dehiwala Municipal Council.

In Hambantota, a sand dune area near Magama was declared a protected zone via gazette notification, officially announced at the National Environment Day Commemoration Ceremony on June 5, 2026, under the patronage of the President.

Further nationwide projects are underway, including the construction of 100 beach recreational parks, 39 of which were opened to the public in 2025, and plans for “Ocean Pool” facilities to provide safe sea‑bathing areas and reduce drowning incidents along the coast. (Newswire)

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The Sri Lanka Police has appealed to the public for assistance in locating a suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred at a shop in the Nedimala area, Pepiliyana Road, within the Dehiwala Police Division on May 19, 2025.

According to police, two unidentified individuals arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire with a gun, killing a man. 

The Western Province South Crime Investigation Division is conducting inquiries into the incident and has identified the motorcycle rider involved.

The suspect has been named as Senarathnage Dhananjaya Kaushala Perera, a resident of Dehiwala. 

Releasing his photograph to the media, the Police have urged anyone with information to contact the authorities via the telephone numbers 071‑8596065or 011‑2809077. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka Police has appealed to the public to provide information regarding a suspect wanted in connection with a shooting and homicide incident that occurred on January 9, 2026, at Peters Lane, Galle Road, Dehiwala.

The Dehiwala Division Crime Investigation Branch is conducting further investigations into the case, where an individual was shot and killed.

Based on witness accounts, a photograph of the shooter who arrived to commit the crime has been created using AI technology.

Police request anyone with information about the suspect shown in the photograph to contact the the Police via the hotline 071-8596408. (Newswire)

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The Western Province Southern Crime Division has arrested five suspects who had planned to commit a murder.

Police said the murder plot was organized in Dehiwala itself as an act of revenge for the crime committed on December 06 near a playground on Wanaratana Road, Dehiwala, where a man was shot dead, and another was seriously injured.

Accordingly, five suspects were arrested last morning (11) in the Ratmalana area on charges of preparing plans to kill a person, conspiring, aiding and abetting the crime, and acting as members of an unlawful assembly.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 36, are residents of Pankulama, Ratmalana, Boralesgamuwa, and Moratuwa.

During the arrest of the suspect from Pankulama, police found 15 grams of heroin in his possession.

It has been reported that this suspect had acted as the gunman in the murder committed on 19 January 2025 in the Badowita area of the Mount Lavinia Police Division, where a resident was shot dead, and that a case related to that crime is currently being heard before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court.

Further information revealed by the suspects led to the discovery of a motorcycle prepared for use in the planned crime, and it was found that the license plate fixed to the motorcycle belonged to a stolen motorcycle from the Homagama Police Division.

The suspects are scheduled to be produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court today (11), while the Western Province Southern Crime Division continues further investigations. (Newswire)

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The National Zoological Gardens says the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens and the Pinnawala Zoological Gardens will remain closed to the public due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions and the resulting fallen trees.

According to the National Zoological Gardens, the Dehiwala and Pinnawala Zoos will remain closed tomorrow (29).

However, the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and the Ridiyagama Safari Park will continue to remain open to the public, it added. (Newswire)

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The bodies of two males found dead under suspicious circumstances were found in the Dehiwala and Grandpass areas on Monday, the Police said. 

According to the Police, a 23-year-old youth was found dead in a suspicious manner inside a house on Siriwardena Road in Dehiwala. 

The deceased is a resident of Dehiwala. The Dehiwala Police is conducting investigations into the death.

Meanwhile, the body of a male was found near a canal close to Ingurukade Junction in Grandpass last evening.

The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained, while he is assumed to be between the ages of 35 and 40 years. 

The Grandpass Police is conducting investigations into the death. (Newswire)

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A 45-year-old man has been reported injured in the shooting that took place near the Dehiwala Railway Station today.

CCTV footage of the incident shows the gunman walking towards the victim and shooting him at point-blank range. 

The shooting is reported to have been carried out by two men who had arrived on a motorcycle and had fled the area after the incident.

Police investigations are underway into the shooting. (Newswire)

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Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake engaged in an observation tour to inspect the existing shortcomings at the Dehiwala Railway Station, following the instructions and approval given by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to renovate 100 railway stations across Sri Lanka. 

During the inspection tour yesterday, Minister Rathanayake said that measures such as extending the surrounding wall, improving essential infrastructure for railway passengers, facilitating goods transportation by rail, providing facilities for disabled passengers, and meeting several other urgent needs will be implemented promptly to address the current unsafe conditions at Dehiwala Railway Station.

“Following the President’s instructions and approval, we are conducting observations to proceed with the renovation of 100 railway stations. Currently, a large number of buses stop near this railway station, and the passengers arriving by these buses lack proper restroom facilities. Additionally, to boost tourism and generate economic benefits, the Dehiwala Railway Station, which attracts a significant number of visitors, will be equipped with a proper restroom system,” he said.

Minister Rathnayake further said that steps will be taken to construct food outlets with public-friendly facilities for tourists, adding that plans for this have already been prepared and will be submitted for my review. 

The Transport Minister announced that the renovation of the Dehiwala Railway Station will commence within the next few months and that work will be completed in phases.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake was accompanied on the inspection tour by the Mayor of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, senior officials from the Sri Lanka Police, and a group of senior railway officials. (Newswire)

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Two suspects, including the gunman, in the shooting incident reported in Nedimala, Dehiwala on 19 May, have been arrested by the Western Province South Crimes Division. 

According to the Police, the suspects were wanted for having attempted to shoot and murder an individual at a store in Nedimala.

The Police said an individual suspected of being the gunman in the shooting was arrested with 10.16 grams of ICE today.

Another individual, suspected of aiding the shooting, was also arrested along with 10.35 grams of ICE.

The suspects, aged 38 and 43, are residents of Dehiwala and Mihintale. The Western Province South Crimes Division is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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A 37-year-old man has been arrested with a large stock of illegally imported cigarettes in Dehiwala.

According to the Police, the suspect was arrested during a raid conducted by the Police Special Task Force (STF) on Moore Road yesterday, based on a tip-off. 

STF officials had seized 400 sticks of illegally imported cigarettes from the possession of the suspect, a resident of Dehiwala. 

The Dehiwala Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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Two cars bearing the same number plate have been seized in the Dehiwala and Dalugama areas by the Police, it was reported.

The cars were seized by the Police Intelligence Officers attached to the Central Anti-Corruption Attack Force (CACAF) Walana, Panadura yesterday (Feb 13). 

Following investigations, one vehicle was seized from Sea Street in Dehiwala and the other from Mudiyanse Watte in Dalugama.

The seized vehicles have been handed over to the Dehiwala Police, while a Court order is to be obtained to get the vehicles checked by the Government Analyst Department to identify the genuine car. (Newswire/ Image – Daily News)

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Sri Lanka Police say the recent shootings reported in the Dehiwala area are not related to the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.

A 45-year-old man was shot dead by two unknown gunmen on a motorcycle near the Nedimala Grounds in Dehiwala today. 

Preliminary Police investigations have found that today’s shooting was connected to the incidents where an individual was shot dead in the Badowita area on September 15 and the shooting of another person on Saranakara Mawatha in Dehiwala on September 18.

The Police investigations have confirmed that the shootings were not related to the upcoming presidential polls. 

The Dehiwala Police is conducting further investigations into the shootings. (Newswire)

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A 45-year-old man has succumbed to injuries after being shot by two gunmen while travelling on a motorbike along Kadawatha Road in Dehiwala.

According to the police, the attackers also arrived on a motorbike and opened fire, leaving the victim critically injured. He was rushed to Kalubowila Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

This marks the second shooting incident in Dehiwala within the last 24 hours, following the killing of a shop owner in the Saranankara area yesterday.

Both incidents have raised alarm in the community as the number of shootings reported across Sri Lanka has risen sharply. The country has witnessed five shootings in the past 48 hours. (Newswire)

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A group of individuals have been arrested for attempting to rebuild the hotel that was demolished in Dehiwala in January this year after it was identified as an illegal construction in the coastal area.

The group, arrested while engaging in reconstruction activities at the hotel premises on Tuesday (May 14), were remanded until 28 May after being produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court. 

It is reported that they were arrested over accusations that the letter claiming to be from the Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management permitting reconstruction was fake. 

Commenting on the arrests, the Police clarified that the group had been arrested based on a court order.

The Police further said that the arrested individuals had no rights over the said property and were not entitled to engage in construction activities. 

The hotel, allegedly belonging to a drug peddler, was demolished in January 2024 following a raid conducted during the Police Special Operation ‘Yukthiya’ to curb drug-related activities in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)

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An accident involving a Mustang car has been reported in Dehiwala. 

According to media reports, the luxury car is reported to have collided with a three-wheeler. 

The incident is reported to have taken place in the Kalubowila area in Dehiwala last evening. (NewsWire/ Pic – Accident1st)

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Police investigations have been launched to ascertain if the accident reported on Kadawatha Road in Dehiwala last morning was a deliberate act.

A car had knocked a motorcycle from behind, resulting in the death of the motorcyclist, who was a 52-year-old resident of Katubedda, Moratuwa.

Video footage has emerged of the public who witnessed the accident last morning, claiming that the driver of the car had intentionally collided with the motorcyclist.

The eyewitnesses claim that the driver of the car had been harassing the motorcyclist prior to knocking him from behind. 

The 30-year-old driver of the car has been arrested in connection to the accident. (NewsWire)  

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Sri Lankan authorities demolished a hotel located in Dehiwala, allegedly belonging to a drug peddler, after it was identified as an illegal construction in the coastal area. 

The beach-side hotel has been identified as belonging to a prominent drug peddler who is currently based overseas. 

The hotel was demolished today (Jan 01) by officials from the Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management with the assistance of the Police. 

The officials took measures to remove and demolish all unauthorized constructions at the hotel. 

The Director of the hotel and two others who had obstructed the duties of the Coast Conservation Department officials have been arrested by the Police. (NewsWire)

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A hand grenade was recovered from a building located at Anagaarika Dharmapala Mawatha in Dehiwala today (Dec 06), the Police said.

The grenade was found on the 5th floor of an 11-story building that was built and had been abandoned. 

It was found by security officials at the site, who had informed the Dehiwala Police of a polythene bag found with an object similar to a hand grenade. 

Investigations by the Police had confirmed that the object was a hand grenade. 

Upon being informed the bomb disposal unit of the Police Special Task Force had removed the hand grenade from the building. (NewsWire)

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