The gunman, who shot a businessman in Homagama and ran away under the contract of a drug-trafficking strongman based in Dubai, was shot dead by the Police Special Task Force early this morning.
The police special task force media wing said that the suspect was killed in a shootout between the police special task force officers and the suspect while going to arrest him.
The Special Task Force stated that this raid was conducted to arrest 29-year-old Manikkuge Kasun Lakshitha Silva, a resident of Mabodala, who was the main shooter who shot and killed a person in the Homagama area last June 20.
There, the shooter shot at the Special Task Force officers with a T-56 weapon, and due to the retaliatory firing by the Special Task Force officers, the suspect was injured and died after being admitted to Minuwangoda Hospital. The Special Task Force also said that a Special Task Force officer was also admitted to Minuwangoda Hospital for further treatment with minor injuries.
The Special Task Force also says that this suspect has been identified as a main disciple of Manikkuge Nuresh Supun Dayaratne AKA Heenatiyana Mahesh Malli, who is an organized criminal and a large-scale drug trafficker who is currently abroad, and also a disciple of Handaya, an organized criminal of Homagama area.
It has been identified that the person who was killed was a soldier who escaped from the navy. The police have found the T-56 weapon and ammunition used to shoot the Special Task Force soldiers in that house. The firearm used in the Homagama shooting was found in the possession of an army officer staying at a resort in Nuwara Eliya.
The Special Task Force states that according to the information received by the officers of the Special Task Force Special Operations Section I, under the orders and instructions of the Special Task Force Commander DIG Attorney General Varuna Jayasundara, under the guidance of the Director Intelligence Superintendent of Police MMK Wijesinghe, under the supervision of the Assistant Superintendent of Police (Intelligence/Special Operations/Anti-Narcotics and Organized Crime) Sagara Kulasekara, the Station Commander of the Special Operations Section I, Chief Inspector HVL Wijayaratne and a group of officers raided the house located at No. 376/A, Mahagama, Horanpalella last night (19) to arrest this shooter.