'Konda Ranji', who was hiding in Dubai after obtaining a 10-year Golden Visa, has been arrested and brought back.

Ranjith Kumara alias 'Konda Ranji', an organized crime gang leader and large-scale drug trafficker arrested in Dubai, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) this morning (09) at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, following his deportation from that country. The suspect, who arrived in the island around 8:10 AM on a Fly Dubai flight, was taken into custody by officials within the airport premises, and further investigations regarding him have commenced.

Konda Ranji, a resident of the Kadana area, has long been wanted by the police for his involvement in underworld gang clashes, shootings, and the operation of heroin and 'ice' drug networks in the Western Province. He fled to Dubai with his family members more than two years ago, and while attempting to obtain a 10-year golden visa in that country, he continued to operate his criminal and drug network in Sri Lanka. Previously, cases had been filed against him for illegal possession of firearms, drug trafficking, and cattle theft.

The main crime he is alleged to have orchestrated is the fatal shooting that occurred in the Kadana area on July 03, 2025. In this attack, carried out with a T-56 firearm targeting Mr. Sameera Manahara, a private secretary to former Minister Mangala Samaraweera, and his associates, Mr. Sameera Manahara was injured, and his brother-in-law, Upali Amunuvila, was killed. The arrested shooter later revealed that the attack was carried out with a firearm obtained through 'Paravi Suda', stemming from a dispute with 'Chooti Malli', an associate of 'Konda Ranji', and that 'ice' drugs worth eight hundred thousand rupees were paid as contract fees for the attack.

He was arrested at Dubai Airport on January 08, 2026, while attempting to flee to Italy with his wife and child using a fake passport, and at that time, Interpol Red Notices and a 2019 case for possessing 03 kilograms of heroin were also active against him. Although he managed to be released on bail by spending a large sum of money in the local court, a special team from the Criminal Investigation Department went to Dubai and, through diplomatic and legal interventions, finally arranged for his deportation to Sri Lanka.

Last April, Konda Ranji's main trafficker was also arrested in the Ganemulla area with a stock of 'ice' and heroin worth over 300 million rupees, and recordings of phone conversations with him were taken into police custody. The bringing of Konda Ranji, who was behind numerous underworld incidents including the T-56 attack on his three-story house on Kadana Veedi Mawatha in December 2024, to the island in this manner, is considered a significant step forward in suppressing underworld and drug networks in Sri Lanka.