Shooting gang leader in court for the man disguised as a lawyer

A notorious gang leader died after he was shot inside a court in Sri Lanka by an armed man disguised as a lawyer, says the police.

Police say that the gunman used a revolver that was smuggled in a book humed by a suspicious woman, who remains in general.

The leader of the Sanjeewa gangs Kumara Samarkne had been escorted to the Court to face the procedures when they shot him. Police say it was suspicious in multiple cases of murder.

The shooting in the capital of Colombo is among a series of murders of rival gangs, which has persisted as the authorities promise to take energetic measures against the violence of gangs in the country.

The gang leader, popularly known as Ganemulle Sanjeewa, had been in custody since he was arrested in September 2023.

Police said he had been escorted the court on Wednesday by a dozen police. He was urgently taken to the hospital after he was shot, but was declared dead upon arrival.

The gunman managed to flee from the scene, but was then captured by the police. Local authorities and media have identified it differently, but the police say that he used several names.

Police have identified the suspicious woman as 25 -year -old Pinpura Dewage Isehara Sewwandi.

The authorities have published a promising notary compensation notice for anyone who provides information about women. Police say they also arrested a police officer and a Van driver to help the two suspects in the shooting.

The legislators talked about the queen in the violence of the gangs in Parliament on Wednesday, and an opposition deputy described him as an “important security problem.”

Mass’s Minister of Health and Media, Nalinda Jayissa, who in December had pledged to take energetic measures against such criminal activity, on Wednesday said that the government “would take the actions of the organized gangs of the underworld.”

The incident has also raised questions about security in court, with the authorities currently reviewing security measures.

New security protocols are being implemented following the shooting, including the deployment of armed guards when certain people are taken to court. Armed security personnel are not usually allowed in court, said Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara on Thursday.

At least nine people have died this year in a series of shootings attributed to the rivalry of the gangs, according to the AFP citing police data.