Two Organized Crime Suspects Deported from Dubai, Arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department at Katunayake

Two high-profile suspects allegedly involved in organized criminal activities, who were apprehended by the security authorities in Dubai and subsequently deported to Sri Lanka, were arrested by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, on the night of 13 June 2026.

Following their arrest, arrangements were made to hand over the suspects to the Central Crime Investigation Bureau and the Colombo Central Crime Investigation Division for further inquiries and legal proceedings.

The first suspect, who was handed over to the Central Crime Investigation Bureau, is a 25-year-old resident of Colombo 15. Significantly, his photograph had been incorporated into the advanced automated facial recognition system installed at the Katunayake Airport terminal since March 2025. Investigations have revealed that he is the younger brother of an organized crime figure and drug trafficker known as “Modara Nipuna,” who is currently residing overseas.

According to police records, the suspect was arrested by the Pamunugama Police in 2019 for possession of cannabis and again in 2020 for allegedly assaulting an individual with a blunt object and a sharp weapon within the Modara Police Division. He had also been evading a warrant issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court No. 04 since November 2022.

The second suspect, who was handed over to the Colombo Central Crime Investigation Division, is a 40-year-old resident of Colombo 14. Investigations have identified him as a notorious criminal allegedly involved in a range of serious offences, including murder and drug trafficking.

He has previously been produced before court in connection with an assault incident reported in Ganemulla in 2010 and for possession of heroin following an arrest in Kelaniya. Furthermore, he has been identified as a principal suspect in a fatal shooting that occurred in Colombo in 2015 and has also been indicted before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly aiding and abetting the shooting attack on a prison transport bus in Maligawatta in 2016.

Additionally, the suspect surrendered to the Terrorism Investigation Division through legal counsel in 2016 along with a firearm and ammunition. He was subsequently remanded and later released on bail. Investigations have further linked him to a grave shooting incident reported within the Grandpass Police Division in 2018, in which one individual was killed and three others sustained serious injuries.

Further investigations into both suspects are being conducted jointly by the Central Crime Investigation Bureau and the Colombo North Crime Investigation Division.