Gun violence rages on despite police countermeasures
The alarming rise in shooting incidents, many of which occurred in broad daylight in Colombo, other major cities and even remote villages, has raised questions over the effectiveness of police countermeasures.
The latest victim was sixyear-old Abimani Theruwandika of Kotahena. She came under a trail of bullets that were aimed at her father, with whom she was travelling in a three-wheeler. Also in the three-wheeler were the girl’s mother and a relative. They were returning home after the girl’s father, Akila Perera, obtained bail from the Maligakanda Magistrate’s court in a criminal case last Sunday. The shooting took place near the court premises.
However, Abimani’s mother claimed that the gunmen also wanted to kill the child.
The two killers had followed the three-wheeler on a motorcycle and opened fire, causing serious injuries to the father and the girl. The mother, the relative, and the driver escaped. The girl died in hospital.
Police said they believed the two killers had targeted Perera to take revenge for last year’s killing in Mattakkuliya of a man who was allegedly hacked to death by him.
Police investigations also reveal that the shooting incidents were linked to revenge killings, rivalry between drug gangs, and underworld activities.
In yet another shooting incident, which the police believed was a revenge attack by an underworld gang, two people were gunned down and two others were injured when a motorcycle gunman opened fire from a T-56 assault rifle at a threewheeler in Awissawella on Wednesday midnight.
The four people in the threewheeler were returning from a funeral house when the incident happened. Among them was Avantha, who escaped with gunshot injuries.
Investigations have revealed that two associates of Dubaibased underworld gang leader known as ‘Manna Ramesh’ carried out the shooting in retaliation for the attack on his brother, allegedly by Avantha.
Manna Ramesh’s brother, who was beaten with a pole, is in critical condition.
On an earlier occasion, too, Avantha escaped with gunshot injuries. This happened on May 26 in Thalduwa.
In a shooting incident related to drug-gang rivalry, a group broke into a house in Ratmalana on September 10 and shot dead a person. Investigations revealed that a dispute over drug profits was the reason for the shooting. Three suspects, including a man posing as a human rights activist, have been arrested over the killing.
On September 1, another shooting incident took place in broad daylight at H.R. Jothipala Mawatha, near the Maligawatte Secretariat. The target was a man running a motorcycle repair shop. He succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
Police were able to arrest the gunman, who later confessed that it was a revenge killing.
A senior police officer said that they had also been able to make several breakthroughs in the investigations and arrest people responsible for the criminal activities, including shooting incidents.
He said several of the recent killings appeared to be contracts carried out on the orders of underworld gang members operating from prisons or overseas.
Police investigations also reveal that the shooting incidents were linked to revenge killings, rivalry between drug gangs, and underworld activities.
He said the biggest challenge they faced in their bid to check gun violence in the country was that most of the shooting incidents were planned overseas and executed through gangs operating here.
The officer said the arrest of underworld gang leader Ganemulla Sanjeewa earlier this month had helped the police unravel a string of killings. Sanjeewa was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport after an Immigration Department official felt suspicious about his passport.
Police say he was wanted in connection with 18 murders, most of which were carried out in the Western province.