Murderer who killed mother at Weligampitiya mistaking Kalu Ajith ... jumps into river and dies

Murderer who killed mother at Weligampitiya mistaking Kalu Ajith ... jumps into river and dies

An unfortunate incident is reported recently from Weligampitiya where a mother who was escorting her daughter was shot dead on the road at the time she was driving a vehicle similar to a vehicle which was mistaken as the vehicle belonging to a person called 'Kalu Ajith' as there had been a clash between two rival underground groups.

What was reported yesterday was that the person who committed the murder after being taken into custody had gone to show where the other suspects were and in the process had committed suicide.
At the time the vehicle was about to be parked near a bridge for the suspect to answer a call of nature, the suspect has jumped into the river with manacled hands and thus resulted in drowning.

A rival underground group had come in a motor vehicle and had aimed gunshots at a vehicle with three persons supposed to be underworld elements around 12.30 on last 30th in Weligampitiya area along the main Colombo - Negombo Road. And at that moment when gunshots were fired, a lady who was driving a vehicle who was subjected to this attack suffered serious injuries and was admitted to Colombo North Teaching Hospital where she succumbed. It was Rasika Rochell, a 40 year old lady who died while her 9 year old daughter who was inside the vehicle suffered from a shock and is under treatment after being admitted to hospital. It was from a hair's breadth that the daughter escaped. It is understood that the husband is employed in Italy. Minuwangoda Kalu Ajith who is supposed to be linked to the underworld and is a suspect of a murder case has been ordered by court to report on last Sunday of every month to Criminal Investigation Division of West North District and he has come there on the morning of the day of the incident and had placed his signature in the police book and had been travelling with two of his accomplices in a motor vehicle when mistaking the other vehicle as the suspect's vehicle and tried to commit the murder.

Mrs. Rasikain fact has attended a service held at Kandana church with her 9 year old daughter and was proceeding towards her house in her motor vehicle when was subjected to firing. A T 56 weapon was used for this attack and the underworld gang involved in this firing had fled after the incident. The police were able to find that Sanjeewa Sisira Kumara alias Amunugama Sanjeewa living in Weliweriya, an underworld element has committed this murder. 4 days after the incident this person who is considered as the main suspect was taken into police custody at Rajangana, Anuradhapura. It was when bringing  him to Colombo that he had freed himself from police custody and had jumped into Ja Ela Dandugama Oya when he had drowned, police say.

The deceased suspect is one Ilandari Devage Sanjeewa Kumara alias Amunugama Sanjeewa, a father of four children. Sanjeewa who while serving as a soldier (77540) of the Army Commando regiment had relinquished his duties legally in year 2004 and this person known as Sanjeewa is someone who was connected to several violent murders as a stalwart of the underworld, it was reported.

Police had been successful in arresting Amunugoda Sanjeewa, the underground chief at about 11 in the night on the 5th when he was travelling in a three-wheeler at lower Rajangana, Maraha Wewa junction. The driver of the three-wheeler known as Jayasundera Padmasiri (38) too was taken into custody simultaneously and on further interrogation of these two suspects, the person called Sanjeewa admitted that an attempt was made to shoot and kill Kalu Ajith and his three accomplices and that by mistake they had aimed gunshots at another vehicle and that they came to know only later that the lady who was driving the mistaken vehicle had died as a result.

On police questioning the person called Amunugoda Sanjeewa has revealed that Dematagoda Sanjeewa who is presently under remand custody has handed over this murder-contract and that he was promised 10 lakhs in return. Police say that a police team has set off in the company of Amunugoda Sanjeewa towards Minuwangoda because he told that he could point out where the three suspects who went to shoot Kalu Ajith and his three accomplices were staying. When they were thus moving towards Minuwangoda, Amunugoda Sanjeewa has said that he wanted to attend to an urgent call of nature and thus the police jeep was parked close to La Ela Dandugam Oya Bridge and permitted him for that purpose and sub-inspector Sameera Majula with police constable Aravinda (88617) had been by his side for security reasons. On that occasion, manacled Sanjeewa had struck constable Aravida a terrific blow with his head which resulted in the constable falling down. Just then the suspect has freed himself from police custody and had dashed into Danduwam Oya with handcuffs on, police say.

However, sub-inspector Manjula and constable Aravinda who dashed into the oya had with great effort tried to provide artificial respiration and then contacted Number 1990 calling for the ambulance service with which aid he was taken to Ragama Colombo North Teaching Hospital in the ambulance on which occasion the doctors had after examination pronounced the victim dead, police say.

Police say that court cases are pending against deceased Amunugoda Sanjeewa for having shot at the prison bus carrying underworld leaders such as Dematagoda Chaminda and for shooting Udammita Samare and Gampaha Oman; killing a person called Podde at Thorana Junction, Kelaniya; keeping firearms and bombs in his possession; looting close upon 7 crores belonging to a private bank in Kelaniya Wanawasala area on the 2nd of September, 2010 and causing grievous hurt to a minor by shooting on an attempt to ransack property of a house in Kekirawa. Since the weapon of T 56 used on the lady by the name of Rasika Rochelle had been handed over to two individuals in Pannipitiya as revealed in investigations, police are making a move to take them into custody. CCTV clip at the moment when the said lady was shot at, from below