Police have arrested five suspects, including a woman, in connection with the shooting death of a 54-year-old man in Maligawatta.
The victim, Mohamed Asmin Moideen, who is believed to be a close relative of organized criminal figure ‘Kanjipani Imran’, was shot on August 10 at around 1.20 p.m. on Sri Sangharaja Mawatha, within the Kotahena Police Division.
According to police, the victim, who owned a hardware store on the same road, was attacked by two individuals who arrived on a motorcycle. The assailants opened fire before fleeing the area.
Moideen was subsequently taken to the Colombo National Hospital with gunshot injuries but later died.
The five suspects were arrested yesterday (17) by officers attached to the Colombo North Divisional Criminal Investigation Unit, based on information uncovered during investigations into the killing.
Police suspect that the shooting was orchestrated by another organized criminal figure known as ‘Kudu Anju’, who is currently believed to be residing in France.
Two of the suspects, a 21-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman from Colombo 15, were arrested with 25 grams and 840 milligrams of ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine). They were handed over to the Kotahena Police.
The remaining three suspects, aged 19, 25 and 28, were arrested with 12 grams and 380 milligrams of ‘Ice’, along with a motorcycle allegedly used in the shooting.
Police said the three suspects are residents of Mattakkuliya, Dompe and Mulleriyawa.
Investigators suspect that the killing may have been carried out as retaliation for the recent murder of a close associate of ‘Kudu Anju’ in the Ratmalana area.
Further investigations into the shooting and the alleged links between the suspects and organized criminal groups are continuing.
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