Former Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Anuradhapura District Organiser Duminda Dissanayake has been arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) into a gold-plated T-56 assault rifle discovered at a luxury apartment complex in Havelock Town.
Police confirmed that Dissanayake’s arrest is linked to the ownership of the weapon, which was found on May 20 concealed inside a woman’s travel bag at the apartment premises.
The discovery was made following a tip-off received via the police emergency hotline ‘119’, reporting that an elderly woman had been seen carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle into the building. Security personnel promptly alerted police, and officers including the Officer-in-Charge of the Wellawatte Police Station conducted a search, ultimately recovering the gold-plated firearm.
Initial investigations led to the arrest of two women — a 69-year-old Sri Lankan and her niece, a Kazakhstan national — who reportedly claimed that the rifle had been retrieved from the back of a luxury vehicle, mistakenly assuming it was a toy gun.
CCTV footage obtained from the apartment complex and nearby areas showed the two women removing the bag and rifle from their residence. Subsequent police action included a search of the Kazakh national’s home in Pelawatte, where she and the vehicle used to transport the firearm were taken into custody.
The suspects told police they believed the weapon had been placed in the vehicle while it was left unlocked. Despite this claim, both women were detained on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm and aiding in its concealment.
The case was later transferred to the TID for further investigation, ultimately leading to the arrest of Duminda Dissanayake.
