Intergang rivalry suspected for shooting near Beliatta exit
Underworld figure Kosgoda Sujee who is abroad suspected to be behind killing
Perera and his cohorts had got down to have breakfast when they were shot
Six police teams to trace killers
The leader of the ‘Ape Janabala Pakshaya’ (Our Power of People Party) Saman Perera was confirmed to have been among the five individuals shot dead in Beliatta, Tangalle, early yesterday (22) morning, according to Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa.
A shooting incident was reported between 08:30 am and 08:40 am yesterday, when a group of individuals in a green double-cab had opened fire at a Defender parked close to a shop near the Beliatta interchange exit road on the Beliatta Walasmulla road in the Kahawatta area, around 300 metres close to the Southern Expressway.
The shooting took place when the group of people in the Defender parked the vehicle near a restaurant to have a meal.
According to SSP Thalduwa, the shooting had taken place after the victims had got off the Defender vehicle at Beliatta. The Defender had entered the Southern Highway from the Kurundugahahetekma interchange.
SSP Thalduwa said that the Defender had travelled from Colombo and had exited through the Beliatta interchange and had stopped on the side of the road near a restaurant.
He said that a person inside a pickup truck that had arrived behind the white Defender vehicle when it came out of the Beliatta interchange exit, had shot at the driver while he was getting down from the vehicle, and had also shot at the other passengers who were outside the vehicle walking towards the restaurant to have their breakfast.
SSP Thalduwa said that even though initial investigations and evidence revealed the vehicle involved in the shooting is a double-cab, eye witnesses have said it was a Pajero Jeep.
Police have already found the double-cab involved in the shooting and the suspects who were in it are being questioned, but so far there is no evidence that they were involved with carrying out the shooting. Police are also carrying out investigations on the suspected Pajero Jeep.
It has been revealed that one person got off the Jeep and shot at the four passengers who came in the Defender. The Defender driver was also shot by a second suspect who has also shot at the victims and therefore, police believe that there were two firearms used in the shooting incident, SSP Thalduwa said.
Initially, four of the passengers in the Defender had died in the shooting, while it was later reported that another individual who was hospitalized at the Tangalle Teaching Hospital with critical wounds had succumbed to his injuries, taking the death toll to five.
The five people who died were identified as Sameera Madhushanka, 34, a resident of Bentota, 40-year-old Hasitha Chinthuka, a resident of Induruwa, Buddhika Rajapaksha, 37, from Kurunagala, 44-year-old Champika Jayathilaka who is a resident of Dematagoda and 48-year-old Saman Prasanna Perera (leader of ‘Ape Janabala Pakshaya’), also a resident of Kurunegala.
The Tangalle Magistrate inspected the crime scene and had given an order to police to conduct the post-mortem on the five deceased at the Tangalle Teaching hospital. Police took the bodies to the hospital, SSP Thalduwa said.
T-56 type firearms have been used to carry out the shooting and around 36 used T-56 bullets were found at the scene of the crime, police said. The Defender had multiple gunshots on the windscreen and the windows.
It has been revealed that the victims belong to the ‘Ape Janabala Pakshaya’.
Saman Perera, leader of the party, was on his way to the Tangalle Magistrate’s Court to give evidence in a court case.
He was arrested by the police on August 24, 2022, and was placed in remand custody in connection with an incident of sheltering a suspect involved in a murder that took place in Tangalle on June 5, 2022, and was later released on bail. It has not been revealed as yet whether there is a connection between this incident and the shooting.
The identity of the gunmen and the motive behind the attack are still to be determined by the police.
A thorough investigation is being conducted by the police into the incident. Senior DIG in charge of the Southern Province has commissioned six police teams to carry out the investigation with the Southern Province Crime Investigation Division and Tangalle CID.
A separate police team has been assigned by the Tangalle Police Headquarters OIC. Beliatta Police have also assigned another police team to conduct investigations. Police intelligence officers are also involved in identifying the suspects involved in the shooting, SSP Thalduwa said.
He also added that the police suspect that this shooting is connected to an organized criminal group and the police are also investigating to see if drugs are involved in the shooting incident, but so far no such evidence has been revealed.
A police team with police dogs was dispatched to Saman Perera’s residence to carry out a search operation there. The team has come to conduct a search operation to find if there are any drugs or weapons hidden inside the house as part of the ‘Yukthiya’ special operations, according to a police OIC of the team. They questioned Saman Perera’s wife.
After conducting a thorough search operation of the entire house, police did not find any drugs or any other weapons in Saman Perera’s residence.
Saman Perera alias ‘Royal Beach Saman’, was also a presidential candidate at the last Presidential Election.
Ape Janabala Pakshaya led by him had fielded candidates in almost every district at the last General Election, including Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thera, Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera, Ven. Pahiangala Anandasagara Thera and many other monks.
Tangalle Police officers had also arrested two candidates, who contested the election from the Galle district, over a murder that took place in Tangalle Morakatiyara and the brother-in-law of underworld leader ‘Harak Kata’ was also among them. It was revealed during the investigation that the killing was done by giving a contract of Rs. 500,000 to an escaped STF officer. ‘Kuda Welle Asela’, who was killed in Tangalle Morakatiyara, was the head of Harak Kata’s drug operations happening at sea. In 2019 , a multi-day vessel in which Pakistanis were travelling with 280 kilos of heroin and 115 kilos of ICE, which had been ordered and sent to Sri Lanka while ‘Harak Kata’ was in Dubai, was caught by the Navy.
‘Kudawelle Asela’ was killed at a time when ‘Harak Kata’ was at odds with him because Harak Kata’s drugs continued to be caught in the sea.
During the investigation into the murder, it was revealed that people related to Saman Perera were also involved.
It was also said at that time, Saman Perera was hiding one of the main suspects in a house in Kurunegala belonging to his wife.
Accordingly, Saman Perera was arrested on August 24, 2022 by Tangalla Police officers at his residence in Kosgoda.
A perusal of Saman Perera’s history reveals that he started his career as a tourist guide. He became the owner of the Royal Hotel in Iduruwa as a result of a close relationship he had with a German woman. He got a name as ‘Royal Beach’ Saman with that.
According to intelligence reports, Saman Perera, who was in close contact with underworld criminals and various levels of Police, Army and STF as well as politicians, has provided funds to some extremist organizations.
Saman Perera is married to a doctor residing in Kurunegala. According to the information received by the police, she is a billionaire and Saman Perera became a millionaire after his marriage.
‘Kosgoda Sujee’ was Saman Perera’s archenemy in the underworld. Suji tried to kill Saman Perera several times in the Kosgoda area and a foreigner was killed in one of those attacks.
Also, Saman Perera’s name has been associated with several big murders in the South. Investigations at the time said that Saman was also involved in the murder of a former Chairman of the Balapitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Stanley Tabru and his son, as well as a close friend of Kosgoda Sujee, Terry Tabru. Kosgoda Sujee became notorious as an underworld criminal with the murder of his friend.
Interpol had also issued a red notice against Kosgoda Sujee, who is responsible for a large number of murders in the Southern Province. Even with the red notice, it is said that he also visits France and England with his wife and children in Dubai.
When Saman Perera came forward as a candidate for the Presidential Election, the State Intelligence Service had given the Government a list of crimes including murders written in front of his name.
The list was also received by the officials of the Election Commission. But those charges did not prevent him from appearing as a candidate in the Presidential Election because he had not been convicted before a court at that time.
Varuna Dayaratne and Gayan Weerasinghe
