Suspect in Middeniya triple murder arrested in India and brought to Sri Lanka

A key suspect in the brutal triple murder that took place in Middeniya has been arrested in India and repatriated to Sri Lanka this morning (April 25), police confirmed.

Sri Lanka Police stated that the suspect, 31-year-old Vidana Gamage Ishan Madushanka, is believed to have been the motorcyclist involved in the shooting that claimed three lives on February 18, 2025.

According to police, the suspect is a resident of the Debokkawa area in Uswewagedara. In addition to this triple homicide, he was wanted by multiple police stations in the Matara District, including Middeniya, Urubokka, and Walasmulla on several charges, including murder, possession of live hand grenades, and narcotics such as heroin.

The suspect, who had fled to India by boat and was living under a false identity, was arrested by Indian security forces in Chennai based on information provided by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He was deported to Sri Lanka today (April 25) and taken into custody upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.

The triple murder occurred near Kadewatta Junction in Middeniya, where a gunman targeted a man traveling on a motorcycle with his two young children. The victim, 39-year-old Aruna Widanagamage, also known as “Kajja,” from Weeraketiya, Meegas Ara, died at the scene.

His six-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son were critically injured and admitted to hospitals in Embilipitiya and Tangalle. Tragically, the daughter died shortly after admission, and the son passed away the following day.

Police suspect the killings were carried out as an act of revenge for allegedly stealing a parcel of cannabis belonging to a notorious drug trafficker known as “Backhoe Saman.”

Several suspects, including the alleged gunman, have already been arrested in connection with the shooting.

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