The murder scene in February 2025.
Sri Lanka has extradited six persons who were arrested in Nepal in connection with the high-profile murder of underworld leader Sanjeewa Kumara Samararathne, widely known as Ganemulla Sanjeewa, who was shot dead inside a Colombo courthouse earlier this year.
The deportation took place last week following a joint operation between Nepal Police and Interpol, which uncovered that the suspects had been living under false identities in rented properties across Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.
According to Nepal Police, the deported individuals are Ishara Sewwandi Weerashingha Pinpura Dewage (26), Jeevathasan Kanakarasa (33), Takshi Nanthakumar (23), Dinesh Shyamantha De Silva Kaludara (49), Kenedy Bastiampillai (35), and Dinesh Nisantha Kumara Wikkrama Arachchige (43).
Sewwandi, the prime suspect in the killing, had been placed on an Interpol red notice after being accused of disguising herself as a lawyer to smuggle a revolver inside a hollowed-out copy of the Criminal Procedure Code during the February 19 assassination at Colombo’s Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court.
Sri Lankan police allege that an accomplice, also posing as a lawyer, then used the weapon to shoot Sanjeewa., who was on trial for drug trafficking, before being detained on-site.
Following the attack, Sewwandi reportedly fled Sri Lanka by boat to India before travelling onwards to Nepal. She reportedly left the island through the highly militarised Tamil city of Jaffna.
A reward of 1.2 million rupees was issued by Sri Lankan authorities for information leading to her capture.
“Nepal Police deployed a special team to locate and arrest the suspects after receiving intelligence from the Interpol National Central Bureau,” said Nepal Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire. “The arrests were made after a four-day operation in close coordination with Sri Lankan authorities.”
A senior Nepali immigration officer said the suspects were deported after being fined according to local law. “They have been handed over to Sri Lankan authorities under police supervision,” he confirmed.
Sri Lankan police spokesperson F. U. Wootler said the suspects will face prosecution upon return. “We received operational and intelligence assistance from the Nepali police through Interpol,” he said. “This arrest marks significant progress in dismantling transnational criminal networks.”
Authorities in Colombo have identified at least 22 other Sri Lankan suspects linked to drug-related killings who are believed to be sheltering abroad, with Interpol operations ongoing to locate them.
The Colombo courtroom killing shocked the island earlier this year, exposing deep ties between organised crime, narcotics networks, and state institutions long plagued by corruption and militarisation.
