Brothers linked to Akuregoda double murder arrested

The Western Province (South) Crime Division of Sri Lanka Police says that two brothers from the same family were arrested among three persons suspected of supplying two firearms to the gunmen who shot and killed a lawyer and his wife in the Akuregoda area in Thalangama.

They were identified as Nadun Kaveesha, 20, and Sanoj Kokila, 24, both residents of Nawagamuwa.

Police stated that the arrested suspects are close associates involved in the drug trafficking network of Uggalla Arachchige Tharindu Madusanka, alias “Tutu,” a large-scale drug trafficker currently overseas and the brother-in-law of organized criminal figure Modara Nipuna, who is also hiding abroad.

Along with the two suspects, the rented motor vehicle used to transport the firearms was also taken into police custody.

Lawyer Buddika Mallawa Arachchi and his wife W. A. Nisansala were shot dead inside their vehicle on February 13, 2026, at around 4:50 PM, in the car park of a supermarket in the Akuregoda area near the Defence Headquarters Complex, approximately 700 metres away.

The vehicle used by the gunmen was later found burned on the night of February 14, 2026, by a special police team on a by-road at Kuttiyawatta, near the Agaliya Mulkada Bridge in Baddegama.

A senior police officer said investigations based on the chassis number of the burned vehicle revealed that it had not been registered with the Department of Motor Traffic.

While the Western Province (South) Crime Division was conducting investigations into the double murder, important information regarding the individuals transporting the firearms led to the arrest of the two brothers.

The elder brother was arrested in Athurugiriya, and following his interrogation, the younger brother was arrested in the Kottawa area, police said.

During questioning, the suspects revealed that, under instructions sent via WhatsApp by Uggalla Arachchige Tharindu Madusanka, alias “Tutu,” they had rented a vehicle from the Kottawa area, traveled to Mulleriyawa, collected two firearms, and delivered them to the vehicle used by the gunmen, which had been parked near the supermarket in the Akuregoda area.

They further stated that they did not know the individuals who were in the vehicle.

Police also said that information obtained from the suspects indicates that another person accompanied them in handing over the firearms to the gunmen, and steps are being taken to arrest that individual as well.