Former Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Anuradhapura District Organizer, Duminda Dissanayake, was arrested by police this morning (23rd) while staying at a luxury apartment complex in Colombo 05.
His arrest is linked to an investigation by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) into a gold-plated T-56 assault rifle discovered on Tuesday (20th) in a prominent apartment complex in Havelock Town.
Police said that two women had been previously arrested in connection with the weapon. One of them, a 68-year-old lady, told investigators that the firearm had been sent to her a few months ago by Duminda Dissanayake for safekeeping. The weapon has since been found incinerated.
The arrested women include the Kazakh woman and her 68-year-old Sinhalese mother-in-law. The Kazakh woman resides in Battaramulla, and her husband is currently employed in Qatar.
According to police reports, the Kazakh woman had brought an item resembling a gold-plated T-56 rifle to her mother-in-law’s residence at the Havelock City apartment complex. A retired army officer, currently working at a private security firm and stationed at the building entrance, noticed the suspicious item and alerted the police.
Upon questioning, both women stated that they were unaware of the rifle’s presence until recently. The elderly woman claimed that Duminda Dissanayake, with whom she had a close relationship, had called her a few months ago and asked if she could take care of a bag. She agreed without inquiring about its contents. The bag, delivered by Dissanayake’s cook, remained untouched in a room.
The rifle came to light when the woman attempted to give the bag to her grandson for a picnic. Upon opening it, they discovered another bag inside that contained the weapon.
Police investigations further revealed that the Kazakh woman was planning to move the firearm back to her aunt’s house. Following this, police traced the cook, who was working at a hotel near Dissanayake’s residence. The cook confirmed that he had received the bag from Duminda Dissanayake and was instructed to deliver it to the woman living in the Havelock Place apartment.
Investigations are ongoing.
