The Missing Lady Arrives From The Himalayas

After months of whispers, wild theories, and social media sleuthing, the mystery woman at the heart of Sri Lanka’s most talked-about courtroom killing has finally returned — not by choice, but in handcuffs.

Last evening, at precisely 6:54 p.m., a SriLankan Airlines flight touched down at Bandaranaike International Airport. On board: Pingpura Dewage Ishara Sewwandi, better known by her underworld tag, “the missing lady from the Himalayas.” She was accompanied by five others — all suspects in the assassination of notorious gangster Sanjeewa Kumara Samararatne, alias “Ganemulla Sanjeewa.”

From Courtroom Chaos to Kathmandu

It all began on February 19, inside Court No. 05 at Hulftsdorp. A place meant for justice turned into a crime scene when Ganemulla Sanjeewa was gunned down in cold blood — right in front of shocked lawyers, police officers, and journalists. The shooter vanished. And so did Ishara Sewwandi, a 25-year-old woman described as the “silent shadow” who allegedly aided the assassin.

For months, she was invisible. Police sources whispered about disguises, fake passports, and safe houses. But no one expected the trail to lead to Nepal — a Himalayan hideout more fitting for monks than murder suspects.

The Himalayan Hideout

A joint operation between Sri Lanka’s CID and Nepal Police finally cracked the case. Acting on a tip-off, officers raided a safe apartment complex in Kathmandu where Ishara and five accomplices were allegedly living under new identities. Among them, police say, was a close associate of Kehelbaddara Padme, another heavyweight in the island’s murky criminal network.

Two Special Task Force (STF) officers had flown to Nepal earlier this week, tasked with one mission: bring Ishara back. And last night, under tight security and heavy camera flashes, they did.

Colombo’s Dark Fascination

Who is Ishara Sewwandi really?

To some, she’s just another pawn in Sri Lanka’s underworld chessboard — a young woman lured into danger by love, money, or both. To others, she’s the missing link in a web of revenge killings and turf wars that have bled from the streets into the courtrooms themselves.

Online, her return has already gone viral. Hashtags like #HimalayaHeist and #IsharaReturns trended overnight. Memes portray her as everything from a “femme fatale” to a “fallen angel in cuffs.”

What Happens Next

The suspects, now in Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) custody, will face intense interrogation. Investigators are expected to grill Ishara on her role in planning and executing the courtroom shooting, as well as on how she managed to escape Sri Lanka undetected.

Legal experts say the case will test the credibility of local security systems and airport surveillance. “If someone involved in a courtroom assassination can cross borders this easily, it raises serious questions about our border intelligence,” said one retired police DIG.

A Nation Watches

From Hulftsdorp to Kathmandu and back to Katunayake, the Ishara saga has all the ingredients of a modern Sri Lankan crime thriller — glamour, betrayal, geopolitics, and the shadows of the underworld stretching across continents.

As she steps into the custody of the CCD, one question lingers in Colombo’s gossip circles and evening newsrooms alike:

Was Ishara Sewwandi the mastermind’s muse — or just another ghost in Sri Lanka’s long corridor of crime and consequence?