The recent shootings reported from various parts of the country, according to Sri Lanka Police, were linked to drug trade disputes.
According to SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the targets of the shootings were those who were associated with drug traffickers and the drug trade.
A wave of cold-blooded killings has engulfed Sri Lanka’s already troubled communities, as people grapple with an economic meltdown, acute fuel shortages, a food crisis, and now a terrifying crime wave.
The fifth person killed by assailants on motorbikes in as many days was reported on Sunday (5) night from Moraketiara in Tangalle, South Sri Lanka.
The shooting also injured two other people, according to Sri Lanka Police.
According to reports, the victim was a close associate of the man shot dead on Saturday in Ahangama (4).
The victim from Tangalle was recently released from remand custody in connection with a drug trafficking case in Sri Lanka’s south.
According to Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the victim shot dead in Ahangama yesterday was a 27-year-old man who had recently been released on bail after being in remand custody.
Five Shootings in One Week:
- The first shooting was reported on Monday (30th May) in Colombo by Bastian Mawatha, about 200 meters from the Colombo Range DIG Office.
In the shooting, a 30-year-old man was killed and another man was injured. The victim and the injured man were part of a group of four men known as the Ex-Commandos who were returning from court.
- On Friday morning, a 42-year-old man was gunned down in Moragalla, Aluthgama.
According to Sri Lanka Police, the deceased was a resident of nearby Beruwala. Assailants on a motorcycle shot him down while he was loading his truck with King Coconuts purchased from a house.
According to reports, the person killed in Aluthgama was the Crown Witness in a case against Narcotic Bureau officials for reselling drugs seized during raids.
- On Friday afternoon, a 31-year-old man was gunned down in Panadura.
The deceased was identified as a Wadduwa father of two who worked as a vegetable seller in Panadura Town.
He was gunned down while traveling from Panadura Beach to Galle Road along Nirmala Mawatha, according to police.
CCTV footage showed the victim falling off his motorcycle after being shot, and the shooter returning to fire another shot at the fallen man.
- On Saturday, a 27-year-old man was shot dead in Ahangama’s Panchaliya neighborhood (4).
SSP Nihal Thalduwa, a police spokesperson, stated that the shooting was suspected to be drug-related.
- A close associate of the man killed in Ahangama was assassinated in Tangalle.
Two of his companions were injured in the incident.
All of these shooting incidents are being investigated by police, but the shooters have yet to be identified, and no arrests have been made.
