Police have arrested the owner of a house accused of providing shelter to one of the gunmen allegedly involved in the killing of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda.
The suspect was taken into custody on Thursday (26) afternoon during a raid carried out by Monaragala police at a residence in the Medagama, Nannapura, Diviyapola area and is due to be handed over to the Western South Crime Division for further investigations.
Police said the arrest is linked to the ongoing probe into the Akuregoda double murder, in which a lawyer and his wife were shot dead.
One of the suspected gunmen was arrested in Monaragala on Wednesday (25) and is currently being detained for 72 hours for questioning by the Criminal Investigation Division.
During interrogations, the suspect reportedly told investigators that the murdered lawyer had previously appeared in two court cases on his behalf. According to police, the suspect had told an accomplice upon arriving in Akuregoda that the lawyer was familiar with him because of those cases.
Investigators said the suspects had parked their vehicle nearby and opened fire after the lawyer approached the area.
Police also said the suspect has claimed responsibility for the killing of former Boossa Prison superintendent Siridath Dhammika, alleging that the shooting was carried out on the instructions of an individual known as “Karandeniye Sudda.” He further told investigators that another gunman known as “Lala” accompanied him during that attack and that he fired two shots at Dhammika.
The suspect has also allegedly admitted involvement in a separate triple murder in the Southern Province, police said. (NewsWire)
