Officers of the Western province North Crime Division today arrested a suspect in the Delkanda area over an alleged plot to assassinate notorious underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, alias “Harak Kata”, while posing as a journalist.
According to police, the suspect had planned to carry out the killing using a revolver concealed inside a camera, targeting Harak Kata during his transfer from remand prison to court.
The suspect, a 36-year-old resident of Middeniya and employee of the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation, is believed to have acted under the instructions of underworld leader Kehelbaddara Padme, who is currently detained under a detention order. The arrest was made based on a tip-off from another underworld figure, “Backhoe Saman”, now in custody at the Western North Crime Division.
Investigations revealed that the suspect was a former schoolmate of “Backhoe Saman” and had been involved in large-scale drug trafficking linked to him. At the time of arrest, police also found 20 milligrams of heroin in his possession. Although the suspect initially denied any involvement, he later confessed during interrogation.
In his statement, the suspect revealed that an associate of Kehelbaddara Padme had researched online methods of disguising firearms inside cameras. Acting on this knowledge, he modified a revolver provided by “Backhoe Saman” by fitting it into a camera purchased in Kurunegala. He admitted to removing the revolver’s handle and installing the trigger mechanism inside the camera, which could be operated with a string.
However, the suspect said he lost the courage to carry out the assassination. Two days before his arrest, he photographed the modified device and later dismantled it. He then burned both the altered camera and a forged journalist’s identity card prepared for the mission. During investigations, police were shown the location where these items were destroyed, and the revolver with its remains was subsequently recovered.
The investigation is continuing under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police Rohan Olugala, with a team led by Chief Inspector Linton Silva of the Western Province North Crime Division.
