Sri Lankan authorities have arrested four suspects and prevented a planned shooting in Colombo after intelligence operations uncovered an overseas-orchestrated murder plot, recovering a firearm linked to previous shooting incidents.
Law enforcement agencies have dismantled an alleged murder-for-hire scheme following a coordinated operation by the Criminal Investigation Department's counter-terrorism unit. Acting on intelligence reports, police launched an operation in the Kompannavidiya area of Colombo on Tuesday evening, intercepting a motorcyclist who was allegedly positioned to transport the shooter. Officers recovered a revolver from the suspect, who attempted to resist arrest multiple times before being apprehended.
Investigations revealed that the plot was directed by an organized criminal operating from overseas, with the intended target being an associate of a prominent drug trafficker. Following the initial arrest and subsequent questioning, police identified and detained three additional suspects: the alleged operational director within Sri Lanka, a woman accused of transporting the firearm, and another individual involved in the conspiracy. Forensic analysis linked the recovered revolver to a shooting incident in Ratmalana on August 15, with investigators indicating that the same suspects may have participated in that earlier attack.
Searches of the suspect's residence yielded ten rounds of ammunition compatible with the revolver, two mobile phones allegedly supplied by the overseas organizer, and a motorcycle with a fraudulent chassis number. According to police statements, the investigation has exposed connections to additional criminal activities, prompting authorities to launch further specialized operations. The case underscores ongoing concerns about organized crime networks operating across international borders and targeting individuals within Sri Lanka's criminal underworld.
