Grenade blasts: Little evidence of rise in crime: Dep. Min.
Deputy Minister of Defense Aruna Jayasekara has rejected concerns that the deadly grenade attack in Dehiwala early Friday (11) indicates a rise in organized crime activity, saying that authorities do not have sufficient information to draw such a conclusion yet. His remarks came after two children were killed and their father injured when an unidentified assailant hurled a hand grenade into their home on Sirisangabo Mawatha in Kawdana, Dehiwala at around 3 a.m. Asked by The Sunday Morning whether the attack pointed to an escalation in underworld activity involving grenades, Jayasekara said it was too early to reach such a conclusion.
“It is not an increase. We are yet to receive accurate information regarding what it is. We should be able to know what happened by the weekend,” he said. Jayasekara added that a Police investigation team was examining the incident to establish its circumstances and background. According to the Police, the assailant arrived at the house in a three-wheeler, knocked on the front door, and threw the grenade inside when the occupants answered. Two boys, aged 10 and 17, who were inside the house, sustained serious injuries and later succumbed to their injuries at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila. Their 55-year-old father sustained injuries to his leg and remains hospitalised. The Police said that the father had no previous criminal record. CCTV footage reportedly captured the suspect arriving at the scene, while the three-wheeler believed to have been used in the attack was subsequently found abandoned in the Ihala Bope area of Padukka. Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said preliminary investigations indicated that the assailant may have targeted the wrong house. The intended target is believed to have been a nearby residence linked to an individual allegedly involved in narcotics distribution and associated with underworld figure ‘Badowita Asanka’.
Investigators are also examining whether the attack was linked to an ongoing feud between groups associated with ‘Badowita Asanka’ and rival underworld figure ‘Kos Malli’. A magisterial inquiry was conducted at the scene on Friday morning, while three Police teams have been deployed to investigate the attack. The Police said that investigations were continuing and the motive behind the attack had yet to be established.
