News
Police: Netherworld of crime not awash with illegal firearms contrary to popular belief

Criminal gangs in Sri Lanka do not possess a large quantity of firearms, says DIG Nihal Thalduwa. Appearing in a programme on Derana TV on Wednesday (10) he said that since the war against terror ended, some weapons held by the LTTE cadres had got into the hands of criminal gangs, he said.
“We see some of these weapons still in use. They can also be smuggled into the country in boats as well. However, there is no evidence to believe that the criminal gangs have a lot of firearms. When we arrest people involved in assassinations, often we find that they get hold of a firearm only with the greatest difficulty,” he said.
DIG Thalduwa said the police offered 500,000 rupees to anyone who provided a successful tip-off about a T56 weapon. A policeman who seized such a weapon is also given the same amount as a reward.
The DIG added that a lot of people had lost jobs during COVID 19 and one needed about Rs 100,000 to buy a decent smartphone. “Buying a vehicle or building a house is also very costly. People want quick money, and they are compelled to join various criminal activities. And when a person is engaged in crime, he or she can become the target of other criminals. So, crime rate automatically rises,” he said.
The police believe that a criminal gang based abroad had manipulated Dulan Sanjula, the owner of the tattoo parlour Surendra Wasantha Perera, also known as Club Wasantha, had come to open, DIG Thalduwa said.
“It seems that this organised group fed on Sanjula’s dream of opening his own business. Sanjula’s family was there when the shooting took place, and his sister is in a critical condition. However, we are still at the preliminary stages of the inquiry. Sanjula is still a suspect and will continue to be one until we have concrete evidence to prove otherwise,” he said.
DIG Thalduwa said that many security forces personnel, who had either retired or left the service illegally, were in society and there are several organised crime gangs in the country with links to regional criminal networks. Thus, it was not an easy task to eradicate criminal activity in Sri Lanka within a short period of time, he said.
Professor of Sociology at the University of Colombo, Mohamed Mahees said most organised crimes were linked to politics. Without political patronage accessing illicit firearms, hindering police investigations and escaping the country were extremely difficult, he said.
Prof. Mahees also said that the media played a role in glorifying various criminals and making them household names. By giving excessive coverage to crime, the media also normalised violence. “Since COVID, people have become extremely atomised. They have little social interactions, especially the youth. And there is so much disparity in the society and a sense of hopelessness. This society has become an incubator for criminal activity,” he said.
(RK)
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