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Organised crime accounts for 56 of 103 shootings that felled 45
View(s):By Sandun Jayawardana
More than 100 shootings last year left 61 dead and 47 injured. Police attribute the vast majority of 2024’s fatal shootings to clashes between organised crime gangs, as turf wars, mainly over drug trafficking, continue to take a deadly toll.
Police claim their investigations have determined that 56 of the 103 shooting incidents reported last year were linked to organised crime. A total of 45 people lost their lives.
The other 47 shooting incidents, where 16 people were killed, were due to different reasons, mainly personal disputes.
The last shooting incident reported in 2024 was on the evening of December 28, when unidentified gunmen in a car opened fire at a house in Liyanagemulla, Seeduwa, killing one and injuring two. The victims were a father and his two sons in what police described as a targeted attack. One son, aged 53 years, died at Negombo Hospital. The partially burnt getaway car was found abandoned in the Katunayake area.
There were several high profile shootings in 2024; some in broad daylight with gunmen brazenly shooting people dead in front of bystanders.
Among the most serious was the murder of five near the Beliatta Exit of the Southern Expressway on 22 January. Leader of Our Power of People Party Saman Perera was among the victims.
Also in January, gunmen shot and killed a Buddhist monk at a temple in Malwathu Hiripitiya, Gampaha. On 8 July, two persons, including businessman Surendra Wasantha Perera alias “Club Wasantha” were killed at the opening ceremony of a beauty salon in Athurugiriya. Four others including popular singer K. Sujeewa suffered gunshot injuries.
Some shootings have been caught on CCTV, while investigators have also been able to track the movements of suspected shooters and their vehicles before and after the incidents. In some instances, this has made it easier for police to identify the assailants, leading to their arrest.
Police have been successful in tracking down and arresting those involved in a majority of the shootings, Police Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) K.B. Manathunga insisted.
More than 50 suspects were arrested in connection with last year’s shooting incidents, he added. Weapons have been seized.
“We recovered three T-56 assault rifles used in such shootings over the last three months of 2024 alone. Altogether, we were able to recover 20 T-56 firearms last year.’’
He said that the number of shooting incidents in 2024 was lower than the previous year. In 2023, 54 people were killed and 65 injured in 120 shootings.
Efforts to crack down on shootings related to organised crime have been difficult mainly because many leading drug traffickers direct the trade from overseas, while also ordering the murders of rivals and sometimes, of those who refuse to pay them ransom. Another long-standing problem is that due to corruption within the prison system, some drug traffickers can also direct crimes even from within prisons.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake referred to the matter in late December when he directed officials to take immediate measures to suppress drug trafficking and underworld activities in the prison system. The President gave instructions when he met with ministers and senior officials from the Ministry of Public Security, Justice and Department of Prisons.
“Allegations of certain officials’ involvement in irregular activities within prisons were also addressed during the meeting,” the President’s Media Division said, adding that the President instructed that disciplinary actions be supplemented with appropriate legal measures against any officials involved.
Efforts to take any weapons that might be used to commit crimes out of circulation have led to the Ministry of Defence announcing amnesties. While some firearms such as revolvers, pistols and shotguns have been handed over, assault rifles such as those used in many killings linked to criminal gangs, had not been given up.
Last October, the Defence Ministry also announced a temporary recall of all types of licensed firearms and ammunition given for personal protection to politicians and government officials mainly during the war. About 1,650 firearms had been issued to civilians.
The deadline for handing over firearms for inspection has now been extended to January 20, the Defence Ministry’s Director Media and Spokesman Colonel Nalin Herath told the Sunday Times.
SSP Manathunga, said police will move to extradite drug traffickers and take on their local networks. “But this is not something the police can do alone, though many people seem to believe so.’’ He added that other issues, such as law’s delays must be resolved. “It takes years for some people to be even brought to trial. Matters such as these should be addressed. The entire system needs to change. None of us can do this by ourselves,” he observed.
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