Police have uncovered extensive details surrounding the hand grenade attack in Dehiwala, revealing that the incident stemmed from a dispute between organized crime figures Badowita Asanka and Kudu Avishka, it was reported.
Investigations traced mobile phone data of both the suspect who carried out the attack and the three‑wheeler driver, while CCTV footage showed the suspects leaving Nedimala Asiri Mawatha in a three‑wheeler before the assault. Police suspect that Kosmalli, Avishka’s uncle and close associate, together with his gang, orchestrated the attack.
The prime suspect, a 26‑year‑old resident of Atthidiya Mantrimulla, is believed to be Avishka’s chief contract killer and has been linked to recent shootings in Kalutara and Dehiwala. He is also accused of providing shelter to gunmen involved in the attempted shooting of an underworld figure and of murdering Kudu Anju’s money collector on August 1.
Police teams, operating under the direct supervision of Senior DIG Ranmal Kodituwakku and Western South DIG Samantha Wijesekara, have arrested two individuals connected to the three‑wheeler used in the attack, the garage owner who altered its colour and the man who brought it in. Investigators revealed that the vehicle had been stolen from Nagoda, Kalutara, before being repainted in Nedimala.
Despite these breakthroughs, police confirmed that the grenade was mistakenly thrown at the wrong house, leading to a tragedy that shocked the nation.
In the early hours of September 11, the grenade attack on a residence at Sirisagabo Mawatha, Dehiwala, killed two brothers, 17‑year‑old Kasun Rashmika and 11‑year‑old Duminda Gihan. The boys, who had grown up under their father’s care after losing their mother, were described as innocent children with no ties to the underworld.
Their father, a three‑wheeler driver, suffered severe leg injuries in the blast, resulting in amputation. The final rites of the two brothers were held at the Kalutara public cemetery. (Newswire)