By -Shantha wijesooriya

The inquest into the death of Dilantha Lakmal Rajapaksa, who was abducted and shot dead by the Western Province Colombo South Crime Division, was scheduled to be heard at the Avissawella Magistrate’s Court on 20 of March but the hearing was postponed until May 8 as the witness, who is in custody, was not produced before the court.

The Magistrate ordered the Prisons Department to produce the witness, Nimesh Randika Perera, before the court on May 8.

Rajapaksa had served in the Air Force Rugby Squad and was thirty-three years old at the time of his death.

In connection with the shooting death of Wasantha Perera and Rupasinghe Arachchige Nayananda alias Ukkum, a resident of Siddamulla Prabuddha Mawatha, Piliyandala, who were travelling in a three-wheeler in the Maos Ela area of Moragahahena on March 7, the Colombo South Crime Division abducted and shot dead Lakmal Rajapaksa while he was sleeping at his parents house in Padukka Miriyagalla.

Two people were shot dead in the Moragahahena area on March 7. On that day, Dilantha Lakmal Rajapaksa alias Kaluwa and Randika Perera had gone to Ja Ela to see Lakmal Rajapaksa’s girlfriend in a rented vehicle.

Randika Perera had gone to the Lakmal Rajapaksa family’s house, had breakfast and gone to Athurugiriya, entered the expressway from Athurugiriya and came out of Wattala exit. Lakmal Rajapaksa had met his girlfriend near Keells in Wattala. He spoke to his girlfriend for about half an hour, then returned to Kahathuduwa via the expressway, and from there returned to Randika’s house. Randika had sent the rented vehicle and had lunch with Lakmal Rajapaksa. Later Lakmal had gone to Miriyagalle with a friend of Randika’s at around 1 pm, while Randika Perera and his wife had gone to his mother’s  house at around 5 pm that day.

Dilantha Rajapaksa

The next day (09) at around 2.30 am, officers from the Western Province South Colombo Crimes Division had broken the gates and raided Randika’s house. Later, an STF officer called Randika’s name and Randika opened the door and came out. The ST. F. officers who entered the house brutally assaulted Randika Perera and questioned him about a shooting that took place on March 7, 2024.

The STF has assaulted Randika brutally saying that he was the one who drove the vehicle but Lakmal alias Kaluwa was the one who shot the victim. An STF officer named Gunasekere attached to the Pagoda Unit has told Randika to get ready to die. Subsequeently Randika’s wife had cried not to kill him. While assaulting, Randika had seen Lakmal inside the STF vehicle. Later, few STF officers had stood at Randika Perera’s house and taken Lakmal alias Kaluwa away in the same vehicle they came. Later, at around 6 am, the same group had come and told Randika we sent Kaluwa where he likes to go.

On March 8, Randika Perera was taken to the Pagoda South Colombo Crimes Division and kept in custody for seven days under a detention order and was later remanded in custody by placing 12 grams of ice.

Testifying Lakmal alias Kaluwa’s death in the courts, the STF officers said that the Colombo South Crime Division had set up a roadblock in the Angamuwa to trap Lakmal. WHen Lakmal approached the roadblock while conducting a search, the STF had ordered him to stop his motorbike but Lakmal shot the police and tried to escape. Then the police opened fire in self-defense, killing him.

However, Lakmal is said to have shot the police with a locally manufactured firearm. He had overrun the roadblock, abandoned his motorcycle in the woods and pulled something from his waist to shoot at the STF police squad at the roadblock, then the police shot him in self-defense, STF testified in court.

Randika Perera is a key witness in this case. Randika Perera had seen Lakmal alias Kaluwa  in the STF jeep. The STF soldiers had parked the van in front of Randika Perera, claiming that they sent Kaluwa where he wanted to go

Therefore, if any harm or injury occurs to witness Randika, the Colombo Crimes Division should be fully responsible.

Rajapaksa’s girlfriend is ready to testify that she met Lakmal near Keells in Wattala at around 11.30 am on March 7, 2024. It is also reported that the Air Force has examined the CCTV cameras fixed at Keells.

The STF shot and killed Lakmal Rajapaksa alias Kaluwa not at the roadblock but at his house in Miriyagolle. Randika Perera’s testimony will prove that STF abducted him. Lakmal’s father says that the STF soldiers came to Lakmal’s house, searched his room for drugs and obtained a signature from his father stating that no valuables were missing from the house. Now it has been a year and 15 days since Lakmal Rajapaksa was abducted and shot dead on March 7, 2025.

Lakmal Rajapaksa and Randika Perera are friends of Homagama Handaya, who the police call an organized criminal. His father says that there are no criminal or drug-related complaints against Lakmal Rajapaksa in Padukka or any other police. The STF soldiers killed Lakmal Rajapaksa to take revenge on Handaya. In particular, our investigations revealed that although Lakmal Rajapaksa was a friend of Handaya, he was not involved in crimes or drug trafficking.

Lawyer Buddhika Mallawarachchi represented the rights of the deceased.