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Sri Lanka’s underworld empire faces fresh blows as police arrested two close allies of Panadura Nilanga, seizing weapons, ammunition and drugs in a dramatic raid fueled by insider intelligence.
Two key figures linked to the notorious organized crime network of Panadura Nilanga, recently arrested in Jakarta, were captured by police in Kalutara. The raid unearthed a T-56 assault rifle, a magazine, 30 live rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle tied to multiple violent crimes.
The suspects, identified as ‘Embilipitiya Suranga’ and another man from Horana, were detained following an operation by the Kalutara Crime Division. Suranga, who had been hiding in a rented house in Arukgoda, Panadura, was caught in possession of 5 grams of the drug ice and a motorcycle. Investigations revealed the motorcycle was used in several shootings in Panadura, Hirana, Malamulla and Madupitiya. Police say Suranga was directly involved in supplying vehicles, coordinating shootings, murders and drug trafficking for Nilanga’s underworld syndicate.
During intense questioning, Suranga disclosed that firearms used by Nilanga’s network were hidden in a house in Batuwita, Horana. A subsequent search led to the recovery of a T-56 firearm, 30 rounds of live ammunition, a magazine, and 7 mobile phones used for crime coordination.
Both suspects are expected to be produced before the Panadura Magistrate’s Court as the investigation expands into Nilanga’s widespread criminal network. Police sources confirm that these arrests mark a crucial step in dismantling Nilanga’s empire of organized crime, drugs and contract killings.
