A foreign-made 12-bore firearm, allegedly meant for the assassination of Kehelbaddara Padme, the wife of an underworld leader suspected of ordering the killing of Ganemulla Sanjeewa from Dubai, has been discovered hidden in a house in Nattandiya.
A team of Pannala Police officers recovered the firearm on the 25th, following information provided by two suspects arrested in connection with the murder plot. According to police, the weapon was concealed in the home of one of the arrested individuals.
The two suspects, residents of Nattandiya and Marawila, were taken into custody while filming the house and surroundings of Kehelbaddara Padme in Pannala. They were later presented before the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate’s Court and remanded for six days for further investigations.
During questioning, police discovered that the suspects were acting on instructions from a drug trafficker named Kudu Sameera, who is believed to be hiding in Dubai. They had been assigned to record and send video footage of the house to Kudu Sameera as part of the planned attack.
Further investigations revealed that the suspects were former associates of ‘Olu Mara’, a notorious underworld figure from Wennappuwa, before swiatching allegiance to Kudu Sameera. Authorities believe that their timely arrest prevented a mass shooting from taking place.
The ongoing investigation is being led by a special police team under the direction of Senior DIG for the North Western Province, Attorney-at-Law Ajith Rohana, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Mahesh Kumarasinghe, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ruwan Kumarasena, and Pannala Police OIC Chief Inspector Rajapaksa. The suspects are currently being held under detention orders as inquiries continue.
