The driver 'Siihina' in the Akuregoda lawyer's murder, having arrived from the Maldives, divulges information.

A key suspect directly involved in the shooting death of a lawyer and his wife in a supermarket car park near the Battaramulla, Akuregoda Army Headquarters, has been arrested in the Maldives and brought back to the country. On July 4th, a 26-year-old youth named "Sihina," residing in the Ethkandura area, was brought to the island via Katunayake Airport.

Police investigations have revealed that he is a close associate of "Karandeniye Sudda," a powerful underworld gang leader operating from the Southern Province.

After being brought to the country, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department handed over the suspect to the Colombo Western South Criminal Investigation Division for further investigations. The police have obtained a three-day (72-hour) detention order to interrogate the suspect extensively. A lot of information is currently being revealed about how this youth assisted in various ways to systematically carry out this double murder, which occurred on February 13th.

According to investigating officers, the contract to shoot and kill the couple, lawyer Buddhika Gayan Mallawa Arachchi (44) and his wife Welala Arachchige Nisansala (42), was orchestrated by Karandeniye Sudda, who is hiding in Dubai. Acting on this plan, the suspect named "Sihina" arranged for the two underworld gunmen who came for the murder to be brought to a hotel in the Colombo area by car and provided them with other necessary facilities. He also bought a car for thirty lakhs (30) rupees to transport the gunmen to the Akuregoda supermarket. The Western South Criminal Division was able to take the said car into police custody around the time the crime occurred.

Police sources confirm that this suspect also bought a bus for forty lakhs (40) rupees to help the gunmen escape safely after the murder. It has been revealed that the underworld leader in Dubai sent him the money required for all these operational activities, including the purchase of these vehicles. Four days after the crime, on February 17th, the suspect fled to Bangkok on SriLankan Airlines flight UL 404. From there, he hid in several countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Dubai, finally arriving in the Maldives.

Due to prior international alerts issued by Sri Lankan police authorities regarding this suspect, he was apprehended by Maldivian immigration authorities when he arrived at the Maldives airport to travel back to Dubai. Subsequently, a special team including a Chief Police Inspector from the Criminal Investigation Department traveled to the Maldives and arranged to bring the suspect back to Sri Lanka, and currently, the Western South Criminal Investigation Division is conducting further investigations regarding him.

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