Ishara Sewwandi Arrest in Nepal- Behind the Screen

Ishara Sewwandi, who was arrested in Nepal, has now been brought back to Sri Lanka. Below is the Sinhala translation of an article published today (15) on the website of the Kathmandu Post newspaper regarding the operation that led to her arrest.

Six Sri Lankans connected to the murder of an alleged underworld leader in Sri Lanka—Sanjeewa Kumara Samararatne, alias “Ganemulla Sanjeewa”—have been arrested in Kathmandu, Nepal, and subsequently deported.

The deportation took place on Wednesday following a special operation conducted in coordination with the Nepal Police, after it was revealed that the suspects were residing in rented apartments in the Kathmandu and Bhaktapur areas.

According to senior police sources, those deported are:

Ishara Sewwandi Weerasinghe Pinpura Devage (26)

Jeevarasan Kanakarasa (33)

Takshi Nandakumar (23)

Dinesh Shyamanta de Silva Kalutara (49)

Kennedy Bastianpillai (35)

Dinesh Nishantha Kumara Wickrama Arachchi (43)

On February 19, 2024, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court issued an Interpol Red Notice against Ishara Sewwandi, the main suspect in the murder of Sanjeewa. Following this, member states, including Nepal, were alerted to monitor her travel movements.

A Nepal Police officer stated that close monitoring was maintained after the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kathmandu paid special attention to the case. The International Police National Central Bureau (NCB) office in Naxal, Nepal, deployed a special team to trace and apprehend the suspects.

Investigations have revealed that all six suspects are members of the notorious Sri Lankan criminal gang known as the “Kehélbaddara Padme” syndicate, involved in organized crime and drug trafficking between Malaysia and Dubai. The alleged mastermind behind the murder, Padme himself, was also the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and was arrested in Indonesia on August 25.

It was further discovered that the suspects had been living secretly in Nepal for several weeks, posing as Indian nationals using false identities.

Two of them reportedly entered Nepal by air, while the others are believed to have crossed the border overland from India.

Since none of the suspects had committed crimes within Nepal, authorities coordinated with the Department of Immigration to facilitate their deportation in accordance with the country’s legal framework.

“They were fined as per legal requirements and handed over to Sri Lankan authorities under police supervision,” confirmed a senior immigration officer.

International police officers noted that such cases—where Sri Lankan underworld members seek refuge in Nepal—are extremely rare. They added that close coordination between the Nepal Police and the Sri Lankan Embassy was crucial in ensuring the suspects’ swift deportation.