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Shootings body count adds up to 30
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A young woman was shot dead inside a political party office in Kegalle this week.
By Damith Wickramasekera and Senuka Jayakody
The shootings were widespread and involved the remote Middeniya area in the south and Mattakkuliya in Colombo city. One of them was reported from near the court house in Negombo.
In Middeniya, a 47-year-old Sathosmathagama resident was shot dead by an unidentified suspect on Thursday night near the Sathosmathagama junction, when he was returning from a visit to a relative of his wife. The shooter had fled the scene, but the man was already dead by the time he was admitted to hospital.
A shooting in Mattakkuliya happened on Monday night, injuring a prominent drug dealer known as “Aliwatte Asitha” alias Asitha Chathuranga, 26, who died at the Colombo National Hospital.
Police are investigating a dispute over payments for drugs that is said to have led to the shooting.
A shooting near the Negombo Court took place on the afternoon of August 31, when motorcycle gunmen targeted a 40-year-old Katana resident, who was heading to court.
However, the driver, who had gone to court for a drug case, was only injured. Another 51-year-old motorcyclist, a man who was passing by, was injured in the ankle. 
“The incidents highlight the danger of bystanders being caught in the crossfire,” a senior policeman said.
He said that in one of the recent shootings in Wattala where an underworld gang member shot dead a rival on the street, a vehicle of a civilian, too, was hit. “A child in the vehicle took weeks to get over the shock,’’ he said.
Last Wednesday, a group that arrived in a three-wheeler had shot a 28-year-old Wathugedara resident in Balapitiya, who was riding a motorbike, near the Balapitiya Hospital, over a drug dispute.
The spate of shootings, mainly involving the underworld, has continued, while firearms are also being now used to settle personal scores.
In one incident, a young woman was shot dead inside a political party office in Kegalle this week. A suspect has been arrested.
Firearms, including those made locally, have been used in recent incidents.
“Whether it is a pistol, a T56, or even the locally-made ‘Galkatas’, the spread of firearms is dangerous. All efforts should be made to reduce weapons in society,” a former police officer said.
Although amnesties have been given to surrender weapons, the response has been poor. “We have noticed not enough follow up action to determine the source of weapons,’’ he said.
He said weapons smuggled in from the former conflict areas in the north as well as those smuggled into the country have been used in criminal activities, according to investigations.
However, Police Media Spokesman, Nihal Thalduwa, said an STF operation will be launched.
Many shootings involved locally-made guns and were triggered by personal disputes and also turf wars of drug dealers, he claimed.
The spokesman said 23 of the suspects have been arrested and promised, “we are going to arrest all, and will not allow this situation to aggravate”.
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