Colombo court murder sounds alarm on crime

A prominent local crime boss shot in the courtroom where he had been taken from prison for a hearing. The killer disguised himself as a lawyer. The Minister of Justice has ordered armed escorts and fingerprinting for court depositions.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – A murder that took place inside the Hulftsdorp courthouse in Colombo has catapulted the issue of crime in Sri Lanka to the forefront.

On 19 February a killer broke into a courtroom and shot Sanjeewa Kumara, better known as ‘Ganemulla Sanjeeva’, a prominent figure in the local underworld, to death.

The ambush took place while the boss was being brought before the judge from the prison in the southern city of Boossa, where he was being held. He was taken to hospital but died shortly after admission.

The police spokesman declared that Sanjeeva was assassinated by an armed man who entered the courtroom dressed as a lawyer and hid a weapon inside a copy of the penal code. Another woman dressed as a lawyer helped him.

A few hours later, police officers arrested a man in the Palaviya area of Puttalam, accused of being the murderer: he was identified as Samindu Dilshan Piyumanga Kandanaarachchi. In addition to him, a driver who helped him escape and an officer from the Negombo police station, who was also thought to be one of his accomplices, were also arrested.

However, the woman, identified as Ishara Sewwandi, 25, resident of Katuwellegama, in the Negombo area, has not yet been found.

The Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, has stated that the man suspected of having killed Sanjeeva is also involved in several other murders that have taken place in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice, Harshana Nanayakkara, has stated that the government will take this incident very seriously: ‘Under the current system, no one is armed in court. It is in this context that the incident occurred. After discussing the matter with the Inspector General of Police and the parties concerned, special prisoners will from now on be interrogated in court accompanied by an armed guard and a fingerprint check will be carried out."

Sanjeewa Kumara, who had fled the country while wanted for criminal activities, was arrested at the airport upon his return from Nepal in September 2023.

Since then he had been detained in the Boossa camp pending a series of trials against him. The circumstances of his death have caused great consternation among the population.

Many are asking: ‘What security is guaranteed for our lives, if something like this can happen within the judicial system?’

According to official data, in 2024, from January to December, over 100 violent incidents caused the death of 103 people in the country.

Photo: Derana Television