Information has been reported regarding a plan to kill the suspect named Sanjeewa Kumara Samararatne alias Ganemullae Sanjeewa in Attanagalle or while he was being taken to another court using several T56 firearms. Lanka Sky News has received a letter sent by the DIG in charge of the Western Province, K.P. Mahinda Gunaratne, to the DIG in charge of the Northern Division, Western Province, requesting that necessary security measures be taken regarding the suspect.

According to the letter, the plans to kill Sanjeewa were made using Whatspp technology with three suspects detained in R2 ward of the Mahara prison with  Kehelbaddara Padme, who is known by the police as an organized criminal and lives in a foreign country. Although the letter states the names of the suspects planning to kill Sanjeewa from Mahara Prison, the names of the opposing party are not stated due to the possible threats to the lives of those suspects from the opposing party. 

Western Province, Northern District, Peliyagoda DIG Kapila Kadupitiya has stated in a letter sent to the Director of the Western Northern Crime Division that there is a possibility of shooting the suspect while he is being taken to Attanagalla or another court. However It has been ordered to obtain intelligence information regarding the suspect’s safety and inform the relevant officers and prepare appropriate security arrangements, and to take the further necessary steps to ensure that no incident occurs and inform him of the progress by September 21, 2024.

Western Province Northern Crime Division Director E.P.J. Pushpakumara has instructed and ordered  the DIG Western province North Crime Division Peliyagoda, Kapila Kadupitiya to conduct an expeditious investigation. In the meantime the Commissioner General of Prisons has informed the operations to seize the mobile phones in the custody of the suspects detained at the Mahara Prison and present them to him for investigation.

Furthermore, the Officer-in-Charge of the Gampaha Division, the OICs of the relevant judicial zones and the intelligence officers have been informed to take necessary steps regarding the future safety of the suspect and to obtain further information in a letter dated 17 September 2024.

All district officers, station OIC’s and divisional intelligence officers have been informed in writing that they will inform Senior Superintendent of Police Eric Perera in charge of the Negombo Division and take necessary action. Although the intelligence units had revealed that there was a plan to kill Ganemulla Sanjeewa, the security forces were initially informed, but later, due to the lack of attention, Kehelbaddara Padme was able to kill Ganemulla Sa. Intelligence information had previously revealed that his opposing side was planning to kill Sanjeewa in Attanagalle or another court.

The public has not been made aware of the information that has been revealed so far regarding the plans that the three suspects detained at Mahara Prison and Kehelbaddara Padme had to kill Sanjeewa while they were being taken to court. 

Although the Director of the Northern Crime Division of the Western Province, Pushpakumara, informed the Commissioner General of Prisons Operations to provide the mobile phones of the suspects for investigation purposes, it has not been revealed whether the necessary cooperation was received and what information was uncovered during the investigations. If the investigations had been carried out properly, the murder of Sanjeewa in a courtroom could have been prevented. Killing a suspect in government custody in a criminal case on court premises is a jeopardy to national security.

In the Easter attack, as in the Sanjeeva killing, the lack of attention to intelligence information and the failure to take the necessary action at the time cost many public lives. The Easter attack, unlike the Sanjeeva killing, is not an isolated incident, but an incident that was intertwined with regional geopolitics.

Ganemulla shot and killed Sanjeeva while he was in court at Court Hall No. 5, in the Hulftzdorph courts, Colombo. The shooter disguised himself as a lawyer, shot Sanjeewa and fled. The shooter was later arrested while fleeing to the Puttalam area. Police and prison officers were also present in the hall when the shooter shot Sanjeeva. It is reported that a group of police special task forces soldiers were also present at the entrance to Court Hall No. 5. How did the shooter escape from the court premises after shooting Sanjeeva, bypassing the security? Police revealed that Batuwatte Chamara, who is said to have given this contract to the shooter, had spoken to the shooter on WhatsApp before killing Sanjeeva and said, “Inside work is done, you can execute without fear.” There have been allegations that the Police Special Task Force and prison officers were involved in Sanjeewa’s murder.

Several police officers have been arrested in connection with the murder of Ganemulla Sanjeeva, as well as the murder of two children, including Middeniya Kajja. The Lanka Sky News website strongly says that the police and security forces are fully responsible for the murder of Ganemulla Sanjeeva.