KATHMANDU, Oct 15: Nepali authorities have arrested six suspects involved in the murder of Sri Lankan underworld don Ganemulla Sanjeewa from Bhaktapur. All six have been deported by the Department of Immigration with fines imposed.
According to the Department of Immigration, the primary accused, Ishara Sewwandi, along with five others, was arrested by Nepal Police on Monday night. Sewwandi is also reported to be a member of the underworld network involved in the killing.
Other arrested individuals include Dinesh Nisantha Kumara Wikkrama Arachchige, Dinesh Shyamantha De Silva Kaludara, Jeevathasan Kanakarasa, Takshi Nanthakumar, and Kenedy Bastiampillai.
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Tikaram Dhakal, information officer for the Department of Immigration, said the six suspects were handed over to the department after police arrest, and the department decided to deport them with a one-year ban from entering Nepal. “They were sent back this afternoon at 1:45 PM via flight,” Dhakal confirmed.
The murder of Sri Lankan don Sanjeewa took place inside the Halfsdrop Court Complex in Colombo on February 19 earlier this year. Following the killing, all suspects reportedly went on the run, according to Sri Lankan media reports.
During the incident, shooter Dilshan Piyumanga was apprehended on the same day by a special team. CCTV footage revealed a woman assisting the shooter by concealing the pistol inside a book and carrying it into the court. Investigations later revealed this woman to be Ishara Sewwandi, who had entered Nepal via India after fleeing Sri Lanka by boat. She traveled through bus and train routes to reach Nepal, according to various media reports.
The Department of Immigration stated that three of the arrested had entered Nepal on tourist visas, while the remaining three entered via Belahia border from India. “Even those on tourist visas had overstayed, so all were found to be illegally residing in Nepal,” Dhakal said. None of them had passports, as they entered on travel documents, though none had been in Nepal for more than three months.
All the accused were also listed under Interpol Red Corner Notices at the request of the Sri Lankan police. In the course of investigating Sanjeewa’s murder, Sri Lankan authorities issued Red Corner Notices against 40 suspects, of whom 18 have already been repatriated to Sri Lanka.
Upon learning that Sewwandi and other suspects had entered Nepal, the Sri Lankan police launched a special operation and dispatched CID officers to Nepal, as reported by international news agency Newswire. The team, led by Inspectors Rohan Olugala and Gihan De Silva, located the six suspects in Bhaktapur and coordinated with the Nepal Police through the Sri Lankan Embassy to execute the arrests.
The Department of Immigration confirmed receiving a diplomatic note from the Sri Lankan Embassy. The arrested individuals are reported to be members of another underworld faction close to don Kehelbaddara Padme. Earlier, Sri Lankan authorities had also announced a reward of 1.2 million Sri Lankan rupees for information leading to the capture of the fugitive Ishara Sewwandi.
