News
Businessman who refused to give into ransom demand by underworld figure shot dead
View(s):- Incident, one of recent deadly shootings, say police
By Damith Wickremasekara
Despite the election of a new President, the formation of a new Cabinet and the appointment of an Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), incidents of deadly shootings continue, posing a serious challenge to maintaining law and order in the country.
In the latest such incident, a 55-year-old businessman succumbed to gunshot injuries on admission to the Avissawella Hospital on the night of September 30 after being shot by an assailant at Neluwaththuduwa in Hanwella.
Police said the businessman was shot with a T-56 firearm by a gunman who came to his house. CCTV footage captured the assailant jumping over the wall, firing the fatal shots and fleeing the scene. The alleged gunman was subsequently arrested by police.
Initial inquiries have revealed some troubling details with regard to the killing. Police suspect that the businessman was shot dead due to his refusal to pay a ransom demanded by an underworld figure, now based in Dubai.
The underworld figure had allegedly threatened several other businessmen in the area too, demanding ransom, forcing some to go into hiding. The victim though, had refused to pay up and ignored calls made by the underworld leader.
It has also been revealed that the victim had been targeted before, with gunshots being fired at his house in 2021 and then his business premises subsequently being set on fire. The victim had still refused to comply with the demand to pay the ransom, which, it is suspected, ultimately led the underworld figure to order his murder.
The Colombo South Crimes Division is conducting further investigations into the incident.
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