Two underworld figures caught in Dubai, brought to Sri Lanka

Two high-profile, ruthless criminals, who were arrested in Dubai and deported to Sri Lanka, have been apprehended by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Katunayake International Airport. This special raid was carried out on the night of June 13, 2026, after which the two suspects were handed over to the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Colombo Central Criminal Investigation Division for further investigations.

According to a statement issued by the Police Media Division, the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Colombo North Criminal Investigation Division are jointly conducting extensive investigations regarding these suspects.

The first suspect handed over to the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau is a 25-year-old man residing in Colombo 15. He is the brother of "Modara Nipun," who operates organized crime and drug trafficking in Sri Lanka from abroad. He was identified through the automated facial recognition system installed at the Katunayake Airport terminal. His photograph had been entered into this system since March 2025, which enabled his apprehension at the airport. This suspect was previously arrested in 2019 by the Pamunugama Police for possession of cannabis, and in 2020 for assaulting and injuring a person with a stick and a sharp weapon within the Modara police division. Furthermore, a warrant had been issued against him by the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court No. 04 in November 2022.

The other suspect handed over to the Colombo Central Criminal Investigation Division is a 40-year-old man residing in Colombo 14. He has been involved in numerous serious crimes for a long time. Cases were filed against him in court for assaulting a person in the Ganemulla area in 2010, and in the same year, he was arrested with heroin in the Kelaniya area. Furthermore, he is a suspect in a shooting homicide that occurred in the Colombo area in 2015, and was also prosecuted by the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court for aiding and abetting the shooting of a prison bus in the Maligawatta area in 2016. In the same year, he surrendered to the Terrorist Investigation Division with a firearm and ammunition through a lawyer, was produced in court, prosecuted, remanded, and later released on bail. He has also been identified as a key suspect in the brutal crime of shooting and killing one person and seriously injuring three others with a pistol within the Grandpass police division in 2018.