(Lanka-e-News -20.Feb.2025, 11.20 PM) Colombo, Sri Lanka – In a shocking turn of events, authorities have arrested the suspect behind the dramatic courtroom assassination of underworld gang leader Ganemulle Sanjeeva, also known as Sanjeeva Kumara Samararatne.
According to police reports, the gunman was apprehended today in Puttalam, Palaviya, while traveling in a luxury van. The arrest was carried out by Special Task Force (STF) officers, who had been tracking the suspect since the assassination took place inside the Colombo Aluthkade Magistrate's Court No. 5.
The arrested suspect has been identified as 34-year-old Samindu Dilshan Piyumanga Kadanaarachchi. However, authorities say he has been operating under multiple identities. When first apprehended, he claimed to be Samindu Dilshan Piyumanga Kadanaarachchi. but later used another alias, Mohamed Asman Sherifdeen
Police further revealed that he possessed multiple identification documents, including a fake lawyer’s ID, under the name Kodikara Kasun Prabath Nishshanka.
Investigations uncovered that the suspect was a former soldier in the Sri Lanka Army . Moreover, he is believed to be responsible for seven previous murders in the Seeduwa and Galkissa police divisions.
In a plot seemingly straight out of a crime thriller, the suspect disguised himself as a lawyer to gain access to the courtroom. He allegedly hid a revolver inside a legal case file, with its pages cut out to create a secret compartment. Once inside the courtroom, he opened fire on Ganemulle Sanjeeva just as the underworld leader stepped down from the witness box.
The attack occurred while Sanjeeva was attending a hearing related to his remand order. Reports indicate that he was shot at close range, sustaining critical injuries. He was immediately rushed to Colombo National Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.
Authorities have also identified a female accomplice, who allegedly posed as a lawyer and assisted the assassin in carrying out the attack.
Ganemulle Sanjeeva was a notorious underworld figure with a long criminal history. He had been arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in September 2023, after returning from Nepal. Following his arrest, he was remanded in Boossa Prison under a court order from the Gampaha Magistrate's Court.
Prison Commissioner Gamini B. Dissanayake stated that Sanjeeva had 22 ongoing cases, including 19 murder charges.
This brazen assassination inside a courtroom has sparked serious concerns about Sri Lanka’s security measures, particularly in high-profile criminal cases. Authorities are now facing pressure to implement stricter security protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.
As investigations continue, law enforcement agencies are digging deeper into the suspect’s background, his possible connections, and whether this assassination was part of a larger underworld conspiracy.
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by (2025-02-20 18:19:38)
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