Mother of underworld leader 'Backhoe Saman' killed in Middeniya shooting

The mother of 'Bako Saman', an organized criminal who was seriously injured in a shooting in the Midigama, Ulhitiyawa area, has died after being hospitalized. On the afternoon of August 12, two armed individuals who arrived on a motorcycle targeted the woman standing in front of the house, launched the attack, and fled.

It is reported that she had already died when she was admitted to the Midigama Divisional Hospital in a critical condition after the incident, and the police have launched a comprehensive investigation to apprehend the suspects involved in the incident.

Nadungoda Nirmala Prasanna, also known as 'Bako Saman', has been identified as a powerful drug trafficker and an organized crime gang leader in Sri Lanka. While residing abroad, he orchestrated heroin, ice drug, firearm trafficking, and money laundering activities, centering on the Southern Province and the Midigama area. In 2025, during a special operation in Jakarta, Indonesia, he was arrested along with a group of criminals including 'Kehelbaddara Padme', 'Thambili Lahiru', 'Commando Salintha', and 'Panadura Nilanga', and brought back to the island.

Bako Saman also faces major charges regarding the murder of Anura Vidanagamage alias 'Kajja' and his two children. During interrogations, he confessed that Kajja's statement in a 2023 YouTube interview, claiming to know secrets about the Wasim Thajudeen murder, was a threat to him, and that he committed this murder because Kajja revealed information about his drug network. He stated that he deposited 350,000 rupees into Kajja's wife's account in an attempt to escape the charges, and also claimed that he had no intention of killing the children.

Court permission was granted to detain and question Bako Saman and Thambili Lahiru in connection with this case. During investigations into his illegal assets, two luxury buses worth over 80 million rupees were taken into police custody. Furthermore, a micro pistol, ammunition, and over 550 grams of heroin were found at his brother-in-law's house in the Welipitiya area of Midigama, and his wife, Shadhika Lakshani, who was arrested under the Money Laundering Act, was later released on bail.

While organized criminal Bako Saman is currently in custody, investigative units suspect that this shooting attack targeting his mother could be the result of leadership conflicts or a revenge incident among underworld gangs.