Crimes

Main Suspect Of Kaduwela Magistrate Court Shooting Arrested

September 25, 2015

The Operational Unit of the Special Task Force (STF) arrested the main suspect in connection with the Kaduwela Magistrate Court shooting this morning.

He was arrested by the STF from Dompe area in Gampaha District, along with his firearm.

Police said that the suspect has been identified as an army absentee.

A remand prisoner by the name of Batewela Samayan, who was to be produced in court, sustained serious injuries to his chest in a shooting incident at the Kaduwela Magistrate Court on Wednesday.

Case Against 'Wele Suda': Judgement Fixed For October 14

September 23, 2015

The judgement on the drug smuggling case involving Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda was fixed for October 14 by Colombo High Court Judge Preethi Padman Surasena.

Wele Suda is accused of having 7 grammes of heroin in possession.

The date was fixed when the case was considered this morning at the Colombo High Court.

One Injured In Shooting At Kaduwela Magistrate's Court

September 23, 2015

One person has been injured in a shooting near the Kaduwela Magistrate's Court a short while ago.

Shots were fired when the inmates were being brought to the courts.

An individual known by the name of 'Batewela Samayan' was injured.

The injured individual was rushed to the Nawagamuwa Hospital by the prison bus. He was later transferred to the Colombo National Hospital.

Person Injured In Mount Lavinia Shooting

September 12, 2015

One person was injured in a shooting near a night club in Mount Lavinia during the early hours of this morning.

This incident happened following a verbal dispute between two groups. Following the dispute, an unknown group which arrived at the car park of the club shot at a group of four youths. One youth was injured in the shooting.

The youth is from Siddhamulla, Piliyandala.

The police is conducting investigations into the incident. No culprits have been found as of early this morning, our reporter said.

One Person Sentenced To Death For Hasitha Madawala Assassination

August 14, 2015

The Gampaha High Court today gave capital punishment to Rangana Kumara Perera for the murder of former Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Member Hasitha Madawala in January 2013.

Meanwhile, another individual named Ashen Chaturanga was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment for abetting the crime.

Madawala was first elected to the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha in 2006. He was aged 33 at the time of his death.

Police Seek Public Assistance To Apprehend Suspect In Bloemendhal Shooting

August 12, 2015

Police are seeking people’s assistance to locate a suspect wanted in connection with the Bloemendhal shooting which killed two people and injured eleven others.

The main suspect has been identified as Sameera Rasanga Gunasekera alias ‘Sudu’.

His addresses are No. 54/50, Sri Dharmarama Road, Dematagoda, No. 247/12/B Baseline Road, Colombo 12 and No. 346/01/C, Himbutana Road, Angioda.

Any information could be relayed on numbers: 0718591753, 0718591770 or on 0773291500, the Police Department said.

Sri Lankan Beaten To Death In Malaysia Over Alleged Break-in

August 11, 2015

A Sri Lankan was beaten to death in Malaysia after he was caught, allegedly trying to break into an apartment in Kota Kemuning, Malaysia.

Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Shafien Mamat said the incident occurred at around 3am on Sunday, The Star reported.

“The man tried to pick the lock of an apartment on the second floor not knowing that it was occupied at the time.

“The owner heard noises and opened the door and came face to face with the suspect,” he said at the Shah Alam police headquarters.

He said the owner chased the man down the staircase but gave up shortly after.

“Bystanders continued the chase and caught the man and they are believed to have beaten him up.

“When police arrived, the man was lying on the ground and an ambulance took him to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital,” he said, adding that the 25-year-old man died on the way to hospital.

He said police had arrested seven men in connection with the case.

ACP Shafien advised the public to always adhere to the law and refrain from taking matters into their own hands.

(With inputs from The Star)

Gunfire Heard During Ferguson Clashes

August 10, 2015

Shots have been fired in Ferguson, Missouri, during a stand-off between police and protesters marking one year since Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer.

Demonstrators who had gathered to remember the black teenager fled in multiple directions.

They hid behind cars and took cover in buildings as the gunfire rang out just after 11:15pm local time.

St Louis County Police Department say an officer returned shots after coming under heavy gunfire.

It was unclear where the shots came from or whether anyone was hit but St Louis County Police Department also tweeted at least two unmarked cars took shots, with accompanying photos showing a car with a smashed windscreen.

The police added: "Multiple shots fired in Ferguson. Please leave the area of Ferguson and West Florissant."

Earlier on Sunday, crowds marched to remember Michael, who was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on 9 August last year. His shooting sparked a national debate on race and justice.

They observed four-and-a-half minutes of silence at midday to represent the roughly four-and-a-half hours the 18-year-old's body lay in the middle of the street after he was shot.

Two doves were released at the end.

The crowd then began a silent march from the spot where the unarmed Brown was shot.

A service commemorating the anniversary was held at a church in the St Louis suburb.

(Sky News)

MR Confirms Thajudeen 'Killing"

August 09, 2015

Three years after Wassim Thajudeen's death, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa confirmed that the Rugy player's death was a "killing".

Rajapaksa, addressing a press conference at Jaic Hilton Hotel in Colombo this morning, said he would probe the killing of ruggerite Wassim Thajudeen if his party was elected to office at the general election.

"There should be an investigation. I am not disputing that, But this is a serious allegation - a murder. When we go through the reports we can see what has happened.The police should conduct a fair inquiry. In a future government under our leadership, we too will conduct an investigation," the former president said.

However, he raised suspicions over the timeline of the investigations. He said the new government started investigations into the murder just a few weeks ahead of the election.

Moreover, when contacted by Asian Mirror, a senior officer of the Police Department said fresh investigations into Thajudeen's death started in February.

He said the Criminal Investigations Department carried out inquiries for nearly four months and investigated into every aspect of the case.

Wasim Thajudeen died in 2012 in what was described as an accident. However, the CID recently told the Colombo Fort Magistrate that the death is no accident. Considering a request by the CID, the Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris gave permission recently to exhume Thajudeen's remains. The exhumation is scheduled for tomorrow.

Several political leaders have accused the Rajapaksa family of being involved in the alleged murder of Thajudeen. However, speaking to the BBC Sandeshaya recently, Namal Rajapaksa, elder son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, refuted these allegations. "We were family friends" Rajapaksa said.

Murder, Drug Trafficking Allegations Cast Pall Over Argentina Primary Election

August 08, 2015

Lurid allegations of murder and drug smuggling have overshadowed the build-up to this weekend’s primary elections in Argentina as outgoing president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner attempts to ensure a Peronist ally follows her to the Pink House.

The claims have been leveled against the president’s cabinet chief, Aníbal Fernández, who a convicted gangster recently claimed was living a double life as a trafficking kingpin known as “the Walrus”.

The ruling camp say the story has been fabricated by the opposition and the powerful Clarín media group – which has often clashed with President Fernández – in an attempt to dent the popularity of Peronist candidates ahead of Sunday’s open party primaries. The vote, in which Argentinians can vote for any candidate from any party, will offer a gauge of public opinion ahead of the presidential election on 25 October.

Opinion polls suggest Fernández’s preferred successor, Daniel Scioli – the current governor of Buenos Aires – is ahead of his rivals. He will run uncontested as the candidate of the ruling Frente Para la Victoria (Victory Front) this Sunday, while the conservative opposition alliance Cambiemos (Let’s Change) will see three candidates challenge for the nomination, including the frontrunner Mauricio Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires.

But the campaign has been overshadowed by press reports claiming that the president’s righthand man Fernández masterminded the murder of three drug smugglers who triangulated the sale of vast amounts of the prescription drug ephedrine (used for the production of methamphetamine) between China and Mexico via Argentina in 2008.

Although press accusations of involvement with drug cartels have been raised before, these reached fever pitch this week after one of the criminals convicted for the triple murder alleged on the country’s most-watched television news programme Periodismo Para Todos that it was Fernández, then the justice minister, who had given the order.

Speaking from prison, convict Martín Lanatta claimed Fernández ordered the killings to elbow his way into the profitable business.

“The ephedrine-smuggling business ended up entirely in the hands of Aníbal Fernández with intelligence people,” said Lanatta.

He and another witness linked to the drug ring, José Luis Salerno, claimed Fernández was known under the code name “the Walrus” because of his abundant mustache.

The cabinet chief has denied the accusations. “I’m leading the polls,” said Fernández, who is running for governor of Buenos Aires province in the October elections. “They’re trying to keep me from becoming governor.”

The more sober side of the campaign has focused on the extent to which the next president will continue the Kirchnerist policies of the past 12 years, particularly with regard to workers’ rights, fighting inequality, controls on the economy and relations with international financial markets. Macri has promised a change of direction and more business-friendly policies.

Scioli is considered a relatively moderate figure inside the Peronist movement, but he has chosen a key ally of Fernández as his running mate and adopted a leftist stance in campaign speeches praising trade unions and pledging increased spending on public works and education.

Critics claim the outgoing president will maintain a strong influence if he wins. Scioli derided suggestions that Fernández will be a backseat driver.

“You know what, I’m going to do it my way,” he told supporters on Thursday, pledging to fight inflation and make Argentina more attractive to foreign investment.

(The Guardian)