- Says Police were probing deceased lawyer
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala yesterday (17) rejected claims the death of attorney-at-law Buddhika Mallawarachchi signifies a breakdown in national security or the rule of law.
Addressing Parliament, the Minister dismissed what he described as attempts to frame the shooting as a broader security crisis. "This is an isolated incident and does not pose a threat to national security or the rule of law," Wijepala stated, counteracting suggestions the event pointed to a more systemic instability.
The Minister’s remarks came in response to a query from the Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa. While the shooting has sparked public concern, the Minister clarified the authorities view the matter as a specific, contained case rather than a signal of widespread danger.
Further detailing the context of the incident, Wijepala revealed that a Police investigation involving Mallawarachchi had already been active at the time of his death. He confirmed that a formal statement had previously been recorded from the lawyer in connection with that inquiry.
The Minister did not issue further comments on the deceased beyond confirming the existence of the prior investigation.
The shooting targeting Mallawarachchi and his wife took place at around 5 p.m. on 13 February of this year (2026) at the car park of a supermarket in Thalangama, Akuregoda, about one kilometre from the Military Headquarters. Two unidentified gunmen who arrived in a car opened fire using a pistol and a Type-56 assault rifle before fleeing the scene.
The minister said that neither the Police nor the Government had stated the killing was carried out by any specific group or individual, despite reports online. "A total of 12 Police teams have been deployed to investigate the double murder, drawn from the Criminal Investigation Department, the Special Task Force, the Colombo Crime Division and the Central Crime Investigation Bureau. Several suspects have already been arrested on charges of aiding and abetting in the crime, and investigators have uncovered certain leads. Efforts are underway to apprehend those directly responsible for the shooting at the earliest possible time."
Responding to one of Premadasa's queries as to whether the area in Akuregoda where the incident occurred was a high-security zone, Wijepala said the area had not been designated as such.
“We don’t undervalue any life in this country. We don’t condone the death of anyone at the hands of another. As a Government, we are committed to protecting the lives of all citizens and have taken numerous measures to that end since assuming office.” He further noted that there is a large quantity of weapons circulating in society, and that weapons issued to politicians in the past have not yet been returned. “It is within this context that the Government is operating. These murders are occurring while investigations are underway into weapons provided to organised crime from military camps. We condemn this culture of murder,” he added.
He also said it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure the security of the legal community as well as all citizens, and assured that the authorities are committed to doing so. "This incident does not constitute a threat to the rule of law or to the legal profession. The legal community has the right and the ability to represent any suspect, regardless of the allegations against them. They (legal community) are not under threat in carrying out their professional duties,” he said. However, he added that if any individual acts beyond the scope of their professional responsibilities and engages in wrongdoing, such matters would be subject to investigation.
Yesterday, the Government Analyst’s Department’s officers examined the car which had been set on fire in the Agaliya area of Baddegama, Galle, and which is suspected to have been used by the suspects involved in the Akuregoda double homicide. The vehicle was discovered on 15 February along a by-road in Agaliya, by officers of the Nugegoda Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau. The car was engulfed in flames at the time it was found, according to the Police. The vehicle allegedly used by the gunmen in the killing of Mallawarachchi and his wife had been abandoned in the Agaliya area.
Also, yesterday (17), the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court has granted permission to the Police to detain and question the two brothers arrested in connection with the Akuregoda double murder, until today (18). The suspects were taken into custody in Kottawa by officers of the Western Province South Crimes Range for allegedly aiding and abetting in the said killing. Closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage shows the two brothers allegedly handing over firearms to the gunmen who were waiting near a supermarket in Akuregoda. The footage shows one of the arrested men arriving in a car, taking a parcel out of the vehicle, and handing it over to the car in which the gunmen were waiting. Afterwards, they are seen leaving the location towards Hokandara. During that time, the relevant lawyer is also seen traveling along the same road, and the two arrested individuals had informed the gunmen about this.
Following the incident, on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police, 12 Police teams were named to conduct investigations. The two suspects had also provided information about the location of the lawyer’s vehicle prior to the shooting on 13 February. The suspects have been identified as 20 and 24-year-old brothers. The two brothers are allegedly operating a local crystal methamphetamine (Ice) trafficking network on behalf of organised crime suspects currently overseas, identified as Tharindu Madhusanka alias Tutu and another known by the alias Modara Nipuna.
The suspects residing overseas had allegedly instructed the brothers to rent a vehicle for seven days for an operation. The duo had subsequently rented a black car from an establishment in Kottawa. The brothers were later contacted by another individual and instructed to collect a parcel containing firearms from a three-wheeler at a location in Kotikawatta. They were then notified to transport the parcel to the vicinity of a supermarket near where the lawyer was later shot dead. On the day of the shooting, a few hours before the incident, the brothers had reportedly handed over the parcel containing the firearms to another car parked near the supermarket in Akuregoda.
The two suspects had allegedly been aware for about a week that the firearms would be used to assassinate the lawyer. The lawyer routinely picked up his wife from her office and left between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. daily. The brothers had monitored the vehicle and informed the gunmen that it was parked at the supermarket on the day of the shooting. Subsequently, the car carrying the gunmen arrived at the location and shot the lawyer and his wife dead.
Police officers had tracked the suspects as they were returning the rented car to the Kottawa establishment on Monday afternoon, after the seven-day rental period. The vehicle was taken into Police custody and the two brothers were arrested. One of the shooters had reportedly checked into a hotel in Pannipitiya three days before the shooting, where the two brothers had provided him with Ice and other facilities. The second gunman had arrived at the hotel on the day of the shooting. The brothers had not received money for facilitating the murder but had instead been provided with stocks of narcotics. The suspects, who are allegedly drug users themselves, are also involved in drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, another individual suspected to have transported the weapons used in the killing of the lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda on 13 February has been arrested yesterday evening (17), the Police stated. The 28-year-old was arrested in Polgasowita by the Western Province South Crimes Detection Division. He is the sixth person to be arrested in relation to the said murders.