Two young men gunned down near Devinuwara Sri Vishnu Devalaya

Two young men were shot dead in a shooting incident that took place on Sinhasana Road, near the Devinuwara Sri Vishnu Devalaya, at around 11:45 PM yesterday (March 21).

Reports indicate that two unidentified gunmen, who arrived in a van, carried out the shooting using T-56 and 9mm firearms on two young men traveling on a motorcycle before fleeing the scene.

The victims had attended a friend’s birthday party at a house in Kapugampura, Devinuwara. While returning home, the van approached from behind and collided with their motorcycle before the shooting took place, according to preliminary police investigations.

At the crime scene, police recovered 39 spent T-56 bullet casings, two live rounds, two 9mm bullet casings, and two live rounds.

Meanwhile, a van suspected to have been used by the shooters was found set on fire on a byroad approximately 800 meters from the crime scene. Inside the vehicle, police discovered a magazine for a T-56 rifle and additional spent T-56 bullet casings.

The victims were identified as Yomesh Nadeeshan and Pasindu Tharuka, aged 28 and 29, both residents of Sinhasana Road, Devinuwara.

The Matara Additional Magistrate, Malan Shiran Jayasuriya, conducted the judicial inquiry at the scene early this morning (March 22).

As of now, no information has been revealed about the assailants or the motive behind the shooting. Police have deployed multiple teams to investigate the incident further.