Author name: Tharindu Withanage

As per a piece of information received by the officers of the Malsiripura Police Station who were on night patrolling have gone to arrest a suspect who had robbed a motorcycle from a woman who was riding a motorcycle on the Mahawela Road in the Melsiripura Police Division on the evening of 31.05.2025. The suspect in question had behaved in a criminally abusive manner, obstructing the officers’ duties, and the police officers had used the necessary force to arrest the suspect and also taken the stolen motorcycle into police custody. A police officer who was injured after the suspect attacked police officers with a stick during the arrest is being admitted to the Kurunegala Hospital for treatment. The suspect was also injured and admitted to the Polgolla Hospital for treatment. After being produced before the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court, the Court remanded him until 11.06.2025.  A portion of the incident was videotaped by a person at the scene and released to social media, and an investigation is underway into whether police officers acted outside the legal process during the arrest. The suspect is a 62-year-old resident of the Melsiripura area in Erabadugolla.   

Having conducted raids in the Ratmalana and Badowita areas of the Mt. Lavinia Police Division on 31.05.2025, officers of the Mt. Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau have apprehended a suspect along with a three wheeler, 25 grams and 750 milligrams of heroin, Rs. 163,560 in cash believed to have been earned from selling drugs, and another suspect with 15 grams of heroin and presented them to the Mt. Lavinia Police Station. The suspects are 24 and 37 year-old residents of Ratmalana and Mt. Lavinia.   The Mt. Lavinia Police Station is conducting further investigations into the two suspects.

Upon a piece of information disclosed, the officers in Veyangoda Police Station raided a house in the Naiwala Watta area in Essella in the afternoon of 31.05.2025 and arrested a 26-year-old suspect in possession of 3 kg and 655g of heroin and a scale used for weighing drugs. A van that is suspected to be used for drug trafficking has also been seized by the police. Further investigations are being carried out by the Veyangoda Police Station regarding the suspect and all the productions apprehended.

Based on a piece of information received, officers of Police Special Task Force, Tangalle Camp conducted a raid in Kinchigune of Weeraketiya in the evening of 31. 05. 2025 and arrested a person for keeping passion of 12 liters and 630 milliliters (10 bottles of 750ml, 06 bottles of 375 ml and 16 bottles of 180ml) of government approved liquor without a valid license. Subsequently, he was handed over to Middeniya Police Station. The suspect, who is 47 years old, is a resident of Attanakadawala area. In addition to that, Police officer of Ettampitiya Police Station together with the officers of Police Special Task Force, Ettampitiya Sub Camp have raided two illegal liquor distilleries in   Ettampitiya Watta area and arrested two suspects with 196 liters of Goda which is used for illegal liquor distillation. Suspects, who are at the age of 40 and 55, and are residence of Ettampitiya area.

During a raid conducted in the Kotte area of Mirihana on the evening of 28.05.2025 by the Intelligence Division of Police Special Task Force, a 29-year-old resident of Colombo 09 area, who was in possession of 80 grams of Kush, 400 grams of Hashish and a mobile phone believed to have been used for trafficking and has been arrested and presented to the Mirihana Police Station for further investigations. Similarly, during a raid conducted by the Pushparama Sub Camp of Police Special Task Force in the Weligama Police Area on the same day, a 29-year-old resident of Midigama in possession of 43 grams and 760 milligrams of Moroccan drugs, 10 grams and 160 milligrams of narcotic ice along with his mobile phone and an amount of Rs. 58,000, believed to have been earned by selling drugs were taken into custody and presented to Weligama Police Station.

The motorcycle and helmets which was believed to be used by the suspects who has fled after shooting at a shop in Nedimala, Dehiwala area in the evening of 19 – 05 – 2025 have been found by officers of the Special Operations III Unit of Police Special Task Force in the Welapara area of Kaluwaladeniya, Meegoda. Subsequently, they have been handed over to the Dehiwala Police Station. In addition to that, investigation is being conducted by the Divisional Crime Investigation Division, Mount Lavinia on the shooting incident causing death to a 19-year-old young person near the Sylvester Road junction in Mount Lavinia on 05 – 05 – 2025. Another suspect who aided and abetted the crime has been arrested by the said Division on 20 – 05 – 2025 at Odeon Place, Mount Lavinia. He is a 33-year-old and is a resident of Oban Place, Dehiwala. Five suspects, including the shooter and this suspect, have already been arrested.

The 48-year-old man, who was fatally injured by his 53-year-old elder brother on the Raja Veediya pavement near the Badulla bus stand, is currently receiving treatment at the Badulla General Hospital under police protection. It is undeniably commendable that the young ambulance driver of the Badulla Hospital, Yapa Rashmika, and the Police Sergeant 39276, the officer named Nilantha, who was on duty attached to the Badulla Police Station, who had come to the scene as soon as it was reported, who would have thought that witnessing a murder right in front of their eyes be a bitter memory during their lifespan, rushed to the suspect who was throwing several strikes with a sharp weapon, despite the risk to their lives, and managed to subdue him, although the people around him were afraid to approach him due to the fear of the sharp weapon. Police Sergeant 39276 Nilantha had also made a great effort to successfully control the crowd on the scene who tried to attack the suspect after he was arrested. In this incident, it was revealed during the initial investigations that the younger brother, who was hospitalized after being attacked, had brought a sharp weapon in the same evening and first attacked his elder brother, who was trading on the pavement on Raja Veediya in Badulla town, and the elder brother, who was attacked, had grabbed the sharp weapon and attacked the younger brother in return. The elder brother has also been admitted to the Badulla Hospital under police protection for treatment due to cut injuries. Both of them are residents of the Amunuwelpitiya area in Badulla. The Badulla Police Station is conducting further investigations into the incident.