“I always felt that one day, Olagala Sir would come and arrest me,” said Ishara Sewwandi after her arrest in Nepal. “For seven months I was trapped there. I was tired of hiding. I even thought it would be easier to go back to Sri Lanka. But I knew I’d be arrested if I returned, so I stayed.”
Sewwandi, believed to be the main planner behind the murder of underworld leader Ganemulla Sanjeewa, was arrested on October 13 while hiding in a luxury house in the Thimi Park area of Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu. Four other people, including members of the underworld, were also arrested with her.
Gampaha Baba - Nugegoda Babee - Jaffna Suresh
The Operation
The arrest came after a three-day joint operation in Nepal, led by ASP Rohan Olagala of the Peliyagoda Crimes Division and Inspector Gihan de Silva of the Criminal Investigation Department. The mission was carried out with the help of Nepal Police , under the supervision of IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya and Senior DIG Asanka Karawita.
Information provided by underworld figure Kehelbaddara Padme, who was earlier arrested, helped police find out where Sewwandi was hiding. Olagala and de Silva travelled to Kathmandu, met Nepalese officials, and planned the raid. They stayed in a house next door to Sewwandi’s hideout and started surveillance.
Their first arrest was Kennedy Bastianpillai, also known as “J.K. Bai”, who had helped Sewwandi escape from Sri Lanka. He had taken her by boat to India and then by train to Nepal, arranging her stay in a rented luxury home.
J.K. Bai
The Arrest Moment
When police finally entered the house, Sewwandi was shocked to see ASP Olagala. She sighed deeply and said, “Olagala Sir…” He replied calmly, “Ah, how have you been?” before arresting her with the help of a female Nepalese officer.
During questioning, Sewwandi revealed details about other members of Padme’s gang hiding in Kathmandu. Police later arrested three more suspects, including a woman named Thakshi from Chavakachcheri, who looked very similar to Sewwandi. Investigations showed that Sewwandi had planned to flee to Europe using a fake passport made under Thakshi’s name.
Duplicate Sewwandi
Life on the Run
Police investigations revealed that after the February 19 killing of Ganemulla Sanjeewa inside the Colombo Court Complex, Sewwandi had gone into hiding in several areas—Colombo, Matugama, and Middeniya. She was suspected to have received help from underworld figure Sampath Manampeiri during this time.
Later, J.K. Bai helped her escape to India by boat, and then took her to Nepal by train, where he used his contacts to arrange a safe house.
Padme’s underworld gang had funded the entire escape. But after Padme himself was arrested in Indonesia, Sewwandi’s plans began to fall apart.
The Courtroom Killing
The murder of Ganemulla Sanjeewa, a well-known organized crime leader, took place inside the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. The attack was ordered by Kehelbaddara Padme and carried out by Commando Salindu, a former army soldier turned hitman. Salindu entered the court disguised as a lawyer and opened fire on Sanjeewa. Sewwandi, who was also disguised as a female lawyer, coordinated the local part of the plan.
After the shooting, Salindu was caught while trying to flee, but Sewwandi escaped and disappeared—until her arrest in Nepal seven months later.
The End of the Escape
Now, Ishara Sewwandi and her group are being held by Nepal Police, awaiting extradition to Sri Lanka. Her long escape ended just as she had once predicted.
“I always knew Olagala Sir would find me,” she had said — and he finally did.
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