Akuregoda lawyer's killer driver apprehended from Maldives

An organized crime gang member, suspected of having connections to the shooting and killing of a lawyer and his wife in the Akuregoda area, has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake upon his arrival in the country from the Maldives. The 23-year-old suspect was arrested by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last Friday (04), and the police state that he has been handed over to the Western Province South Crimes Division for further investigations.

The suspect, a resident of the Ethkandura area, was a person essential to the police in connection with the shooting incident on February 13, 2026, in the Akuregoda area, which falls under the Talangama Police Division, where the lawyer and his wife were murdered. Police reports also state that the suspect's information had been entered into the Automated Facial Recognition System installed at the airport to facilitate easy identification and arrest upon his arrival in the country.

It has been revealed that this suspect had previously been arrested by the police for offenses related to illegal drug possession. Accordingly, he was arrested by the Baddegama Police in October 2025 for illegal drug possession and by the Embilipitiya Police in December 2025 for heroin possession. In both instances, the suspect was produced before the court and fined. Further investigations related to this double murder incident are being carried out by the Western Province South Crimes Division.