Person dead from shooting-incident 'Chicago-style' ....

Person dead from shooting-incident 'Chicago-style' ....

having come out for a soft drink when court case at Balapitiya Courts was over

Underground killings taking place in Chicago-style is still being heard of in Sri Lanka time and again. An incident which took place last morning (16) at Balapitiya Courts too is one such. Around 11.10 in the morning 2 persons who had come to

appear in a case regarding Migettuwaththe Sumiththa Thera had gone to a kiosk close to courts and were having a soft-drink when one of them was shot dead while the other was subjected to serious injuries in the process and was admitted to hospital.

The person named Piyarathna had together with another person named Rasika who after appearing in courts had gone to a small kiosk opposite courts to have a soft drink when 2 armed individuals with faces covered and with helmets on had come on a motor cycle and had aimed gun-shots one after the other at both Piyarathna and Rasika. After  shooting the two armed assailants had fled towards Ambalangoda town on the motor cycle and this incident had taken place within sight of hundreds of witnesses.

Piyarathna who was subjected to gun-shots died even before he was admitted to hospital while Rasika is presently undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit at Karapitiya Hospital. Kanaththa Aarachchige Piyarathna who thus passed away was someone who was involved in a number of crimes relating to murders, looting and several other serious crimes. Piyarathna who was born in Kanthalai area had been living in Kosgoda temporarily. This Piyarathna who is supposed to be a 'golaya' of Migettuwaththe Sumiththa Thera who has been accused of a number of several crimes in addition to aiding and abetting incidents of looting, possessing weapons and murders is in fact connected to several crimes committed all around the country, the police reveal.

Piyarathna has been accused of close upon 30 murders including murders of 4 people who were shot at during a musical show held at Kosgoda Siddhartha Vidyalaya grounds. In addition he is a suspect of a criminal act of having barged into a tourist hotel in Moragolla area having armed himself and plundered gems and jewellery amounting to millions of rupees and a number of other cases of looting too.

Rasika Chaminda Kumara who received serious injuries having faced gun-shot injuries in front of courts is a resident of Kosgoda, Kaikawala. He was supposed to have been operating as the driver of Sumiththa Thera, police say.

A case relating to incidents of shooting and murdering one Chaminda Sampath in Bentara area on October 19th 2011 and for plundering a gem and jewellery shop were crimes against Piyarathna which case was being heard at Balapitiya Courts. A  9 m.m. type of weapon had been used in this attack, it was revealed in investigations carried out by police. The police suspect that a rival gang of the underworld has carried out this attack. Four police teams of Elpitiya have been deployed in the investigations.

(Photographs: S. Samaranayaka -- Ambalangoda. Courtesy of Lakbima)