Sri Lanka Police arrest four in connection with Akuregoda double murder

Sri Lanka Police say four individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting the Akuregoda double murder.

Police stated that the suspects were arrested for allegedly providing accommodation to the attackers, transporting firearms, and supplying narcotics.

The car believed to have been used by the gunmen, which was found set on fire in the Baddegama area in Galle, is to be submitted to the Government Analyst for further investigation.

Attorney Buddika Mallawa Arachchi and his wife, W. A. Nisansala, were shot dead in the car park of a supermarket in the Akuregoda area, under the Thalangama Police Division, on the afternoon of February 13, 2026, at around 4:50 PM.

Police said the shooting may have been carried out at the direction of an organized crime figure known as “Karandeniya Sudda.”

Twelve police teams are conducting investigations to apprehend the suspects.

Authorities also stated that the murdered lawyer had appeared in several cases related to the organized criminal known as “Karandeniya Sudda.”

Lawyers of the National People’s Power expressed condolences over the killing of Attorney Buddika Mallawa Arachchi and his wife.

In a statement, the organization strongly condemned the threats posed by underworld and criminal gangs allegedly nurtured for political purposes in recent times to civilian rights and the judicial system.

The President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Rajeev Amarasuriya, said that in protest of the incident, it has been decided to withdraw from all court proceedings islandwide today (February 16).

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