Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

‘Konda Janith’ arrested over shooting at eatery in Soysapura

- BY DARSHANA SANJEEWA BALASURIYA AND H M DHARMAPALA

The Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested 34-year-old L. J. H. Wimalaweer­a alias ‘Konda Janith’ over the shooting incident at an eatery in Soysapura, Moratuwa, Police said.

May 19:

An eatery in Soysapura came under an attack by an unidentifi­ed group wielding swords. It was revealed that the owner of the eatery had received death threats from an individual in Dubai demanding ransom.

May 28:

A group of gunmen who arrived in a car opened fire at the eatery while three police officers on duty.

May 30:

The STF arrested a suspect 'Konda Janith', a resident of Moratuwa.

They said he was also the main suspect of the assassinat­ion of SLPP Dehiwala - Mount Lavinia Municipal Councillor K. Ranjan de Silva.

The police launched investigat­ions after a group of gunmen, who arrived in a car opened fire at an eatery in Soysapura last Thursday night while three police officers were on duty.

The eatery also came under an attack by an unidentifi­ed group wielding swords on May 19.

It was revealed that the owner of the eatery had received death threats from an individual in Dubai demanding protection money. Preliminar­y investigat­ions revealed that the arrested suspect was a close supporter of absconding underworld criminal ‘Kudu Anju’ who was alleged to have linked to the murder of Ranjan De Silva.

He was later handed over to the Mount Lavinia Police. Investigat­ions revealed that the suspect was on bail over the shooting of Ranjan de Silva, the father of Sri Lanka first eleven cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva.

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