Thalawathugoda Bust: 'Baddegama Chuti' Confesses to 4 Southern Shootings

 The turbulent Southern underworld is currently showing a deep silence. Although no one knows why, there is strong suspicion among everyone whether this silence is preparation for another murder. There are many reasons for this, the main one being that the names of several underworld gang leaders hiding abroad have been linked to the shootings carried out in the South a few days ago.

Due to this, many suspect that another shooting or murder could be reported from the Southern Province at any moment. Therefore, this silence has created a certain suspicion in everyone.

This situation intensified with the shooting death of Mirantha, the brother-in-law of Karandeniya Sudda, a powerful organized criminal hiding abroad. That murder occurred on November 4th.

Before that murder, no one in the South had managed to attack any relative of Karandeniya Sudda. This is because it was known that laying a hand on Sudda's relative would be the beginning of another series of murders.

However, with Mirantha, Sudda's wife's elder brother, being shot dead on the street, the entire South was agitated. This is because many well knew that another retaliatory murder would occur in the South.

Accusations regarding Mirantha's murder were leveled against Mahadura Naleen's sons. This was due to a phone call made by one of Naleen's sons to one of Sudda's sons, who was abroad, after Sudda's brother-in-law was killed.

“You killed my father, so we killed yours.” This call managed to stir up the entire South. This is because no one had ever threatened Karandeniya Sudda in such a way before.

Mahadura Naleen was murdered on May 3rd. Karandeniya Sudda was accused of orchestrating Naleen's murder.

It was alleged that Naleen's sons, unable to avenge their father's death from Karandeniya Sudda, collaborated with an organized criminal in the South to murder Sudda's brother-in-law in this manner.

It was well confirmed because one of Naleen's sons fled his home after Sudda's brother-in-law was shot dead.

However, the Galle Crimes Division, pursuing him, apprehended Naleen's hiding son in the Sellakataragama area based on information received. Interrogation of the suspect began under the direction of Assistant Superintendent of Police Namal Perera, and as a result, a hidden revolver was found buried. Later, during further questioning, officers were also able to arrest the gunman who shot Karandeniya Sudda's brother-in-law.

Within a few days of Sudda's brother-in-law's murder, specifically on November 17th, an armed gunman broke into a restaurant in the Meetiyagoda area and shot dead a woman who worked as the cashier. Investigations revealed that she was a relative of Mahadura Naleen, who had been shot dead earlier, and also the aunt of Naleen's sons. It was also confirmed during the investigation that Naleen's aunt was killed as retaliation for the shooting death of his brother-in-law, and the shooting was alleged to have been orchestrated by Karandeniya Sudda, who is abroad.

The very next day, November 18th, this conflict escalated further when another armed gunman broke into a shop at Kapuhena Junction in Unakuruwa, Tangalle, and shot dead a husband and wife who were inside. The main reason for this was that the couple were close relatives of Unakuruwe Shantha, another powerful organized criminal and large-scale drug trafficker hiding abroad. Investigative officers suspected that since Unakuruwe Shantha was accused of supplying the firearm for the murder of Karandeniya Sudda's brother-in-law, and since they could not take revenge on Shantha directly, Shantha's uncle and aunt were killed in this manner. Furthermore, it was alleged that this double murder received assistance from the henchmen of Dehibale, another organized criminal in the South.

With these murders, close relatives of organized criminals in the South became fearful and even abandoned their homes for their safety, suspecting that further shootings might occur as retaliation for these killings.

As another consequence, on December 1st, another shooting occurred in the Trincomalee police division. A person living in a house near the Trincomalee Special Task Force was killed in this shooting. The person killed was named Bathkade Prasanna. The suspicion for this murder also fell on Karandeniya Sudda's account.

Although several investigative teams in the South began investigations under the instructions of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Kithsiri Jayalath, who is in charge of the Southern Province, to apprehend the gunmen involved in these continuous murders in the South, only the officers of the Galle District Crime Division have so far achieved successful results in this regard. This is because they were able to apprehend the gunman who shot Karandeniya Sudda's brother-in-law and the driver who accompanied him. Apart from that, Southern investigative officers have not yet succeeded in apprehending the other gunmen who carried out the shootings.

While investigative teams in the Southern Province were pursuing the gunmen involved in these murders, officers from the Thalangama Police in Colombo accidentally apprehended an individual on the 9th. This occurred during a raid conducted by a team of Thalangama Police officers near a hotel in the Thalawathugoda police division. Officers who examined a suspicious individual in the area found 15 grams and 130 milligrams of 'Ice' drug in his possession, and when asked why he possessed the drugs, he told officers that he was severely addicted to drugs and kept them for consumption.

His statement raised some suspicion among the officers, and when questioned about how he obtained money to buy drugs, his answers were unsatisfactory. When officers checked his national identity card, it was confirmed that he was a resident of the Baddegama area, which further intensified their suspicion.

When questioned why a person from Baddegama was roaming in Colombo in this manner, he remained silent. Therefore, officers took him to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Thalangama Police and began to question him further regarding the matter.

Subhash, the OIC of the Criminal Investigation Division, was not satisfied with the contradictory statements made by this individual, known as 'Baddegama Chuti,' a former Army commando.

He informed Thalangama Police OIC Anuruddha, and a comprehensive investigation was launched under the instructions of Senior Superintendent of Police Dehideniya, who is in charge of the Nugegoda Division.

Since he was a resident of the Baddegama area, officers first inquired about him from the Baddegama Police. In response to this inquiry, the Baddegama Police stated that there were 4 cases pending against this suspect in the Baddegama Magistrate's Court and that warrants had been issued by the court for his arrest due to his failure to appear in those cases. Accordingly, officers realized that he was a highly wanted suspect by the Baddegama Police. Upon further inquiry, the Baddegama Police informed that the cases against him were drug-related.

Accordingly, to uncover more information about him, the criminal investigation officers of the Thalangama Police informed several units investigating crimes in the South about his background and physical description.

“We informed them and questioned this individual further. Then he started giving us information about several shootings that occurred in the South. This person said that he was the one who rode the motorcycle in those incidents. But we became suspicious about his statement, wondering if he was the rider or the shooter.”

“Based on that suspicion, his physical description, height, and build were provided to the Galle, Elpitiya, Tangalle, and Ambalangoda police stations and their respective divisional crime investigation units.”

“Later, officers from those units came to the Thalangama Police and extensively questioned this suspect about the shootings that occurred in those areas. During that questioning, information about four shootings was confirmed. Even then, this person said that he was the one who rode the motorcycle to carry out those shootings,” an investigative officer said when questioned about the incident. However, investigative officers from the Southern Province suspected that he might have been the gunman involved in those incidents. They suspected this after examining the CCTV footage obtained regarding those shootings. According to the footage, the gunman riding the motorcycle to carry out those shootings resembled his physical description, but he did not admit it to the officers.

“We suspected that he was claiming to be the rider in those shootings for a reason. If he had said, 'I was the shooter' in the incidents, we would have asked him about the weapon used in that shooting. And he would have had to hand over that weapon to the police.”



“Therefore, we were convinced that he was posing as the person who rode the motorcycle (rider) in these shootings,” the investigating officer further stated. Subsequently, the investigative officers presented the suspect to the court, obtained a 7-day detention order, and continued to question him. It was then revealed that he had been directed by organized criminals operating from abroad.

Accordingly, it was revealed that this suspect was connected to those organized criminals and was involved in incidents such as the murder of a husband and wife in the Unakuruwa area of the Tangalle police division last month, shooting and killing a person and seriously injuring a woman in the Kumarakanda area of Hikkaduwa, shooting and killing a husband and wife in the Ice Mill area of the Ambalangoda police division, and shooting at a house in the Hikkaduwa police division.

Investigative officers stated that it was revealed during inquiries about the suspect that he was imprisoned a few years ago for some offense, where he met Saman Kolla, an organized criminal from the Southern Province, and later through him, he got to know Karandeniya Sudda, another organized criminal. The officer further mentioned that it is suspected that Karandeniya Sudda and Saman Kolla have been directing him for these crimes ever since.

After the 7-day detention order expired, the suspect was produced before the court and remanded. Although it has not yet been confirmed whether he was the shooter or the rider in the shootings he is linked to, officers stated that he is connected to those four shootings.

It was also revealed during the investigation that the suspect was not paid money for these incidents but was given 5 grams of 'Ice' drug every two days. Investigative officers said that initially, when he went to prison, he did not use drugs, but he became addicted to drugs inside prison and is currently heavily consuming 'Ice'. Information has also revealed that criminals abroad have provided him with the necessary drugs using a 'location' method. The investigative officer revealed that after carrying out these shootings, the suspect would leave the area and stay in a hotel in the Kaduwela area, and the hotel fees and food and drink expenses were provided by the organized criminals. Apart from that, it is said that he was not involved in these shootings for monetary contracts. In addition, it is mentioned that ten to fifteen thousand rupees were credited to his account for daily expenses.

Several divisional crime units in the Southern Province have launched investigations regarding the suspect.

Under the instructions of Deputy Inspector General of Police Samantha Wijesekera, in charge of Western South, Senior Superintendent of Police Mangala Dehideniya, in charge of Nugegoda Division, and Assistant Superintendent of Police (4) Wijesinghe, a team including Thalangama Police OIC Chief Inspector Roshan Anuruddha, OIC of the Criminal Investigation Division of Thalangama Police Chief Inspector Subhash Ariyaratne, Sergeant Kumarathunga (30566), Constables Kumara (84768), Mihiranga (78864), Sandaruwan (79783), Prabath (94012), Weerasinghe (97366), Udayarathna (73326), Madhusanka (104297) (97297) and others were involved in this investigation.

(Keerthi Mendis- Mawbima)