Nine arrested with firearms over planned murder and gang links
Police have arrested nine suspects in connection with a planned murder, possession of firearms, and links to organized crime, following a series of raids conducted by the Police Special Task Force (STF) on April 19.The STF raided a house in the Watumulla area under the Gampaha police division, where six suspects were apprehended. Officers recovered two T-56 assault rifles, 118 bullets, three magazines, a van, a car, and a three-wheeler from the location.
The six suspects, aged between 22 and 26, are residents of Galle, Anukkane, Udugampala, and Gampaha.Based on information provided during interrogation, two more suspects—aged 22 and 57 from Udugampala—were arrested on suspicion of involvement in another crime.
In a related operation, STF officers from the Kurunegala camp arrested a 25-year-old man from Hettipola who is believed to have acted as a link between the suspects and members of an organized crime gang. He was taken into custody along with four mobile phones.All suspects were handed over to the Colombo Crime Division for further investigations, which have so far revealed that two of them were acting under the influence of an organized crime leader currently abroad.
