Police News

A 22-year-old individual residing at Palansuriya Gama was killed and another 27-year-old individual residing at Yainna was injured in a shooting incident that took place in the Kahawatta Police Area on the night of 30.06.2025. The jeep used to kidnap the two youths and the four suspects who aided and abetted the crime were arrested from 4 locations in the Homagama Police Area on 15.07.2025 with the assistance of the Western Province North Crime Division, Police Special Task Force, and the Meegoda Police Station. At the time of the arrest, one suspect was in possession of 96 grams of the narcotic ice and 197 grams of heroin, while another suspect was in possession of a handcuff and 12 grams of narcotic ice, which were taken into police custody. It has been further revealed that this crime was committed under the direction of a criminal who is currently living abroad. The investigation officers are pursuing the other suspects involved in the crime through interrogation and based on the clues.

Based on a piece of information revealed by a woman who was arrested for the possession of 20 grams of narcotic ‘ice’, the Colombo North Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau searched a house in the Newham Square of Colombo 13 on the evening of 13.07.2025, and found 745 grams of narcotic ‘ice’, a revolver manufactured in a foreign country, and 05 bullets of the said weapon and arrested a 39-year-old man staying in the house. The woman was a 31-year-old resident of Colombo 12 area, and was also arrested on the evening of the same day at Ibbawatta Junction of the Modara Police Area. Further investigation into the suspect revealed that he is a leading accomplice of a person involved in organized crimes and drug trafficking. The Modara Police Station is conducting further investigations.

A team of officers of the Central Crime Investigation Bureau having inspected the premises of the Nagarawewa Birds Park in the Hambantota Police Area on 12.07.2025, seized 21 motorcycles manufactured in foreign countries that are prohibited from being imported into the country and were hidden in the bird feed storage facility. The manager and the storekeeper of the animal farm were also arrested with 04 cannabis plants that had been illegally cultivated in the said park premises. The suspects are 40 and 50-year-old residents of Matara and Middeniya areas.

Four people who were having a swim at the Etthukala beach on 06. 07. 2025 were caught in a rip current. Inspector of Police, Anuradha, Police Constable 99177 Lakshan and Police Constable 105320 Wijesinghe who were performing duty attached to the Police Lifeguard Unit saved four persons. Subsequently, the officers provided them with basic first aid. It has been reported that these individuals who are at the age of 20, 21, 22 and 34 years, are residents of Veyangoda, Pudaluoya and Namunukula areas 

On a piece of information received from Naval Intelligence officers, a team of officers from the Police Narcotics Bureau conducted a raid in the Wennappuwa Police Area on 02.07.2025 and arrested two suspects, who were transporting 913 kilograms and 124 grams of Kerala cannabis, 02 pistols manufactured in a foreign country, 04 magazines of the same, and 40 live ammunitions of the same in a cab. A suspect who has aided and abetted the crime along with the said cab was also taken into custody. The arrested suspects, aged 24, 48 and 51 years, are residents of the Nochchiyagama, Ulukkulama and Anuradhapura areas.  

Following the information that two individuals were fleeing after shooting a black colour luxury motor car with a T-56 firearm in the morning of 03 – 07 – 202, at the Kandana city center, immediate measures have been taken by police stations nearby to set up roadblocks in order to search for the suspects.   Accordingly, Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Unit of Dungalpitiya Police Station, Sub Inspector of Police, Mr. Thushara Karunathilaka, together with Police Constable 106749 Weeraratne and Police Constable 106816 Dissanayake, conducted a thorough search at roadblock in Lellama area.   Two men riding a red scooter-type motorcycle with a relatively large bag reached to roadblock in Lellama area from Mankuliya area around 12.40 pm. Police officers signaled the motorcycle to stop, but the motorcyclists disregarded the order and rode the motorcycle at high speed passing the roadblock.   Sub Inspector of Police, Mr. Thushara took immediately actions, disregarding the possible risk on his life, and started chasing the motorcyclists, who were suspected of be the shooters carrying a T-56 weapon. Two Police Constables followed the Officer Thushara with a T-56 weapon loaded with 30 bullets.   The suspects were riding their motorcycle at high speed on the Nelellawatta road that runs through Lellama and collided with a stationary lorry near the place called Morawala. The CCTV footage clearly shows that this occurred due to panic when they realized that their attempt to evade the pursuit of the Sub-Inspector of Police was futile.   When the Sub-Inspector of Police single-handedly grabbed the pillion rider by the neck and arrested him, the two constables who arrived shortly fired a T-56 bullet at the legs of the fleeing suspect who was the rider, as they were well aware of the the time and effort it would take to re-arrest him if he escaped.   As skilled police officers, they had been able to apprehend the fleeing suspects by incapacitating them. When checking the bag in possession of the suspects, a parcel of heroin and a toy pistol had been recovered.   The injured person was admitted to the hospital and is receiving treatment under police protection. As it has been revealed, he is a suspect who has been arrested several times by a number of police stations in the past for possession of cannabis and drugs and with cases pending in court.   Dungalpitiya Police Station has initiated further investigations into these two suspects and the crimes that they were planning to commit using the toy pistol.          

Assistant Superintendent of Police, Attorney-at-Law, F. U. Wootler assumed duties as the Media Spokesperson of the Sri Lanka Police and the Director of the Police Media Division on the morning of 03.07.2025 at the Police Media Division. A brief ceremony was held to mark the occasion at the Police Media Division located on the 14th Floor, Suhurupaya Building, Battaramulla with the participation of the OIC and staff of the said Division. Assistant Superintendent of Police, Attorney-at-Law, F. U. Wootler, a father of two daughters, is a distinguished alumnus of St. Anne’s College, Kurunegala. He holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Buckinghamshire, England. He also obtained a Master’s Degree in Human Rights from the University of Colombo on 2nd December 2015 while serving in the Sri Lanka Police. Having rendered an exceptional service as the Officer in charge of Police Station Eravur, Officer in charge of Police Station Dompe, Officer in charge of Police Station Katunayaka, Officer in charge of Police Station Wellawatta, Officer in charge of Headquarters Station Negombo, and Officer in charge of Headquarters Station Jaffna during the war that prevailed for 30 years in the country, with nearly 4 years of service in the Police Media Division, he has also gained fame as an expert on human rights who can communicate in all three languages, Sinhala, Tamil, and English,  Mr. Woottler, who served as a police advisor to the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in East Timor and South Sudan for 05 years, is an officer currently short-listed under the United Nations Professional – 3 (P-3) classification. In 2009, during his tenure as the President of the Sri Lanka Police Inspectors’ Association, he actively contributed towards the welfare of police inspectors with great dedication. Under his leadership, a memorial was built at the Police Inspectors’ Association premises in memory of the Inspectors of Police who sacrificed their lives for the country, and the design of the Police Inspectors’ tie is also credited to Assistant Superintendent of Police Woottler.  

The Negombo Divisional Crime Bureau has arrested 1881 kilograms and 100 grams (63 bags) of Tendu leaves imported into the country by sea without paying customs duties while they were being transported in a lorry. The arrest was made on the morning of 01.07.2025 in the Lagoon area of 2nd Kurana, Negombo, and it has been revealed that the suspect arrested along with the lorry is a 43-year-old resident of the Pitipana area. The Negombo Divisional Crime Bureau is conducting further investigations into the smuggling and the said suspect.

A suspect in possession of 16 kg and 890 g of Kerala cannabis was arrested during a raid conducted in the Kerawalapitiya area by the officers of the Special Task Force in the Wattala camp in the morning of 30.06.2025 and produced to the police station in Wattala. Similarly, two suspects in the age of 29 and 39 respectively were arrested in possession of 129 g of Kerala cannabis by carrying out a raid in Vijithapura area by the officers in Trincomalee camp in the morning of 30. 06.2025 and produced to the police station, Trincomalee, subsequently, on the same day evening, 20 kg and 200 g of dried Kerala cannabis was apprehended without a suspect in Neluwa Yaya area by the officers in Buttala camp and produced to the police station, Thanamalvila. During the raids carried out for the apprehension of illicit alcohol, a suspect in possession of 18.5 liters of illicit alcohol was arrested in the Udugama area of the Rambukkana police area, and a suspect in possession of 27 liters of illicit alcohol together with equipment used for the distillation of alcohol was also arrested in the Nariela area of the Karuwalagaswewa police area by the officers attached to the Kegalle and Puttalam camps, respectivel

During a raid conducted on 01.07.2025 at midnight, the Headquarters Chief Inspector of Police, Mr. T. M. D. Thalwatta and officers of Negombo Police Station arrested two persons who were engaged in an illicit liquor racket with 337 liters and 500 milliliters of illicit liquor and 5040 liters (28 barrels) of goda used for production. Based on a piece of information, it has been uncovered that a house located at the Light Mill Junction, Negombo had been rented and was skillfully being used to run as a large-scale brewery. In addition to liquor, equipment, and a stock of raw materials, including 12 packets of yeast used for fermenting goda has been found and taken into police custody.