Tuition master arrested for harboring lawyer's killer Manoj

A 50-year-old private tuition teacher, who allegedly provided accommodation to the second shooter in the incident where a lawyer and his wife were shot dead in the Thalangama, Akuregoda area, has been arrested by the Monaragala Headquarters Police. The suspect was arrested by a team including Chief Police Inspector Priyantha Prematilaka of the Monaragala Headquarters Police while he was hiding in a temporary house located at Diviyapola Junction, Nannapura, Medagama.

Investigations have confirmed that this tuition teacher provided his house in Nakkala Tankwatta, Monaragala, for three individuals, including the relevant shooter, who is a former navy soldier, to hide.

Police are scheduled to extensively question the teacher to uncover his connections with members of organized crime gangs. So far, seven individuals, including a former army soldier and a former navy soldier who acted as shooters, have been arrested by security forces in connection with this double murder that occurred on the 13th.

Police have revealed that the suspects used a T56 type firearm and a pistol to shoot the murdered lawyer and his wife, discharging six T56 rounds and two pistol rounds. The lawyer sustained severe head injuries and his wife sustained severe chest injuries from the gunfire. A senior police officer stated that this crime was orchestrated by Uggalla Arachchige Tharindu Madusanka alias 'Tutu', a large-scale drug trafficker and brother-in-law of Modara Nipuna, an organized criminal operating from abroad, under the instructions of Jayalath Silva alias 'Karandeniye Sudda'.

Police say that the murdered lawyer had appeared in criminal cases for the past five years. He had also appeared in cases for Karandeniye Sudda, an organized criminal operating from abroad. Furthermore, this lawyer had provided legal assistance to Sujeewa Ruwan Kumara alias 'Loku Pati', who was arrested in Belarus, brought to Sri Lanka, and detained at the Western Province North Crime Division. Police investigations have further revealed that this lawyer also appeared for Loku Pati on the 13th, when the case of Club Wasantha's murder in Athurugiriya was called at the Kaduwela court.