Colombo – April 25: The assassination of Dan Priyasad, a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna candidate for the Kolonnawa Municipal Council, has taken a dramatic turn as police investigations reveal a complex contract killing orchestrated by an underworld network spanning from Wellampitiya to Dubai.
According to police sources, the plot was initiated by a three-wheeler owner named Dulan, who, along with a father and son duo accused in the previous murder of Dan’s younger brother allegedly contracted an underworld leader based in Dubai to execute the hit. The infamous criminal Kanjipani Imran, also in Dubai, is said to have assisted in the operation.
Dulan, now in custody, has reportedly provided critical information, unraveling a chain of communication and planning between local conspirators and overseas crime figures. The police say the father and son, known locally as ‘Kat Bandhu’, have fled their residence and are currently in hiding. Notably, they had allegedly boasted to a prison inmate that they would “kill Dan and return to prison after the New Year.”
Investigations have revealed that Grandpass Dhanushka, another underworld figure residing in Dubai, masterminded the murder, allegedly after being persuaded by Dulan and the Kat Bandhu. According to police, the motive stemmed from a heated altercation on April 20, when Dan Priyasad reportedly attacked Dulan and damaged his three-wheeler with a knife during an argument in Wellampitiya.
The grudge was escalated when Dulan shared his issues with Dan to the father-son duo, who then relayed the information to Dhanushka. “Dan is really a problem. If we don’t do something about him, we won’t be able to live in Wellampitiya,” they allegedly told him. Dhanushka, already close to Kanjipani Imran, informed him as well prompting Imran to greenlight the hit, reportedly due to his own unresolved issues with Dan.
A plan was then set in motion to eliminate Dan Priyasad using two hired gunmen. Although the original attempt was to kill him in front of the Wellampitiya Police Station on April 21, Dan did not show up, derailing their plan.
To distance himself from the plot, Dulan did not personally file a police complaint about the vehicle damage but arranged for another person to do so an attempt, investigators believe, to avoid suspicion.
However, that same night, while Dan Priyasad was attending a party at his mother-in-law’s apartment in Meethotamulla, two unidentified gunmen stormed the premises and fatally shot him before fleeing.
Police have questioned nearly 20 individuals in connection with the murder and are actively pursuing the father and son suspects. Despite extensive searches, their whereabouts remain unknown.
Meanwhile, authorities are working to identify the gunmen through CCTV footage and phone records, but no definitive leads have been confirmed as yet.
The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of Senior DIG Sanjeewa Dharmaratne, with operational oversight by SSP Mangala Dehideniya of the Nugegoda Division. A special police task force has been deployed to bring the perpetrators to justice in what is now considered one of the most high-profile political assassinations in recent times.
