Two more arrested over ‘Ganemulla Sanjeewa’ assassination

Two more suspects have been arrested and remanded in connection with the assassination of notorious underworld figure Sanjeewa Kumara Samararathne, alias ‘Ganemulla Sanjeewa.’

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered that the suspects be placed in remand custody until March 7, 2025.

The suspects, apprehended by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD), were produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Pavithra Sanjeevani today (February 22). One of the arrested individuals, Janaka Udaya Kumara, a 43-year-old resident of Gampaha, was the driver who transported the gunman from Kaduwela to the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

The second suspect, Hasitha Roshan, a 37-year-old resident of Pannipitiya, is a Police Constable attached to the Athurugiriya Police.

During the investigation, authorities discovered that the van used by the shooter to escape was in Hasitha Roshan’s possession. It was also confirmed that the van’s chassis number, engine number, and license plate had been falsified.

The police presented a progress report on the investigation to the court, following which the magistrate issued the remand order. With these arrests, a total of five suspects, including four males and one female, have now been taken into custody in connection with the murder.

Sanjeewa Kumara Samararathne, alias ‘Ganemulla Sanjeewa,’ an organized criminal, was shot on February 19, 2025, at the Hulftsdorp court complex in Colombo. He later succumbed to his injuries.