Organized Crime Suspect ‘Podi Lasi’ Repatriated to Sri Lanka, Taken into Custody by the Criminal Investigation Department

Arumahandi Janith Madhusankha de Silva, also known as ‘Podi Lasi,’ a fugitive organized crime suspect, was arrested by Indian security forces while in India and was repatriated to Sri Lanka via Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, on the morning of February 27, 2026. The operation was conducted by two officers from the Criminal Investigation Department.

The suspect is scheduled to be presented to the Galle District Crime Division for further investigation under the stringent security of the Special Task Force and other law enforcement personnel.

This individual is a primary suspect wanted in connection with drug trafficking and violent murders that occurred in the Meetiyagoda and Ambalangoda areas of the Southern Province.

The rapid repatriation of the suspect was made possible through a robust mechanism implemented with the direct oversight of the Ministry of Public Security and the Inspector General of Police, along with effective cooperation between the two countries, enabling the return without the issuance of an international red notice.

With this arrest, the Sri Lanka Police has successfully repatriated 14 suspects who were hiding overseas. Over the past three years (2024–2026), 29 suspects have been returned to the country through international red notices. Several key suspects currently evading justice abroad are expected to be apprehended in the future using 89 red notices obtained and will be presented before Sri Lankan courts.