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Gangster gunned down after Matara jewellery shop raid
View(s):An organised crime gang suspect Chamara Jayasundara, the bearded key figure in the Matara jewellery shop robbery, was shot dead in the early hours of yesterday by the police.
Constable Suranga Weerasinghe
The police claimed he had tried to lob a hand grenade during an attempt to show them a bag that had been hidden in a jungle.
Police claimed the incident took place at about 6:00 a.m. yesterday when the suspect was escorted to a location known as Kiralakele in Matara to retrieve some evidence.
The suspect is believed to have said that he had hidden a bag in which he carried a change of clothes for the robbery.
Chamara, a resident Veyangoda, was also wanted for the killing of a businessman in April in Attanagalla and wounding four others including a pregnant woman. He was wanted for three other murders.
The suspects had left behind an Israeli-made Uzi submachine gun and two motorcycles.
On Friday morning, gun fire rang out on the Matara to Colombo main road when police engaged Chamara’s gang.
Vehicle movement on Dharmapala Mawatha came to a halt and people ran for cover. CCTV footage shows a wounded policeman being helped into a van parked by the pavement by a man who cradled him in his arms.
The gang held the jewellery shop staff at gunpoint and ordered them into a room before seizing jewellery and cash. One of the employees had alerted the police who arrived while they were still gathering their loot. The gang then opened fire on the police in an attempt to escape.
The gun battle continued for more than hour, leaving five injured including three policemen. Constable Suranga Weerasinghe later died at the Matara hospital. He has been posthumously promoted to sergeant, the police announced.
Three suspects including one wanted for four murders were detained, while two others are missing. One organised crime suspect has been identified as “Kosgoda Tharaka’’ (Dharmakeerthi Tharaka Perera Wijesekara) and another suspect, “Dharmakeerthi Madhuka Nirmal Perera Wijesekera’’, is his brother. Irandeniya Athula Kithsiri Kumara is the third suspect.
Police said the detained suspects had sustained gun shot injuries in the shoot-out in Matara. They had been transported by members believed to be from the same gang and dumped on the road outside the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. Police later arrested them.
More underworld and other crime continues in the country.
Last morning a was man hacked to death in Mt Lavinia area. Police said that the killing had been the result of long-standing dispute. Two suspects have been identified.
In Hikkaduwa, a man was shot dead by two people who arrived on a motorcycle on Friday. The victim was an army deserter and had been wanted for a couple of criminal activities, including three murders.
Earlier in the week, a domestic helper from Jaffna employed by a businessman was hacked to death in the house where she was employed at New Chetty Street, Colombo 13. Earlier in the week, a mother and daughter were killed at their residence in Hanwella. Police said it was the result of a family dispute and the husband was arrested.
Grieving family members of Policeman Weerasinghe. Pix by Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk.
Video grab of CCTV footage showing suspects on the run
A suspect being apprehended
