Acolyte of Dubai based gangster killed in shootout

The Katunayake Police said that a henchman of underworld leader Heenatiyana Mahesh who is in hiding in Dubai, was killed in a police shootout yesterday morning (23)   when he tried to throw a hand grenade that was hidden at the police officers.

Underworld member named Madampage Dinesh Buddhika Somawansa de Silva (32), a resident of the Katunayake Heenatiyana area succumbed in the shootout. Police said the suspect was arrested by a special team of police officers of the Negombo Division on February 22.

When questioned by the police at length, the suspect involved in many crimes including murders and extortion, had stated that a hand grenade and a pistol had been buried in Madhuwa swamp in the Madawala, Katunayake area.

This special team of police officers had accompanied the suspect yesterday (23) morning to search for the hand grenade and the pistol alleged to be hidden in the Madhuwa swamp in Madawala, Katunayake. Then the suspect had taken the hidden hand grenade and tried to attack the police officers with it.

He had then been shot at by police officers and sustained serious injuries. Subsequently the suspect was admitted to the Negombo Base Hospital, where according to the police he had succumbed to his injuries.

Minuwangoda Magistrate T. Thenabadu had conducted an inspection of the scene regarding the death of the suspect. The post-mortem examination regarding the death is scheduled to be conducted at the Negombo General Hospital.

Further investigations are being carried out by Officer-In-Charge of the Katunayake Police Chief Inspector of Police, Ajith Nissanka and a team of police officers on the instructions of SSP Saman Sigera, and SP Eric Perera in charge of the Negombo Division.