Plantation Industries Minister Samantha Vidyarathna has claimed that since the National People’s Forces (NPF) government came to power, the underworld’s operations have diminished, causing a rise in violent activities as criminal networks struggle to survive.
Speaking at a public meeting in Badulla, he alleged that many of the recent underworld killings are actually aimed at eliminating evidence linked to the Rajapaksa regime. He emphasized that organized crime does not emerge without political backing and suggested that a properly governed country would not give rise to an underworld.
Vidyarathna asserted that Sri Lanka’s underworld is a product of the old political system and that dismantling it will take time. He further alleged that in the past, underworld operations were even directed from the Temple Trees and the President’s House, and that certain recent murders classified as underworld killings are in fact targeted assassinations to erase crucial evidence.
