A notorious gang leader died after being killed inside a courthouse in Sri Lanka by a shooter disguised as a lawyer, police said.
Police said the shooter used a revolver that had been bratulated in a book hollowed out by a suspect, which remains in freedom.
Gang leader Sanjeewa Kumara Samararathne had been escorted before the courts to deal with procedures when he was shot. Police said he was suspect in several cases of murder.
The shooting in the capital Colombo is part of a series of murders by competing with gangs, which have persisted while the authorities promise to suppress the violence of the gangs in the country.
The gang leader, popularly known as Ganemulle Sanjeewa, was in detention since his arrest in September 2023.
Police said he was escorted on Wednesday at the courthouse by a dozen police officers. He was transported urgently to hospital after being killed but died shortly after being admitted to the hospital.
The shooter managed to flee the premises but was then captured by the police. It was identified differently by the local authorities and the media, but the police claimed that they have used several names.
Police identified the female suspect as Pinpura Dewage, 25, Ishara Sewwandi.
The authorities have presented a promising monetary compensation for anyone providing information on women. Police said they also arrested a police officer and a van driver suspected of helping the two suspects during the shooting.
The legislators discussed Reining in the violence of gangs in parliament on Wednesday, an opposition deputy calling him “major security problem”.
The Minister of Health and Mass Media, Nalinda Jayatissa, who, in December, was committed to repressing these criminal activities, said the government “would take the actions of the organized underworld”.
The incident also raised questions about security in the courthouse, the authorities currently examining security measures.
New security protocols are implemented as a result of the shooting, including the deployment of armed guards when some people are brought to justice. Armed security personnel are generally not authorized in court, the Minister of Justice said Harshana Nanayakkara said on Thursday.
At least nine people have died this year in a series of shots attributed to the rivalry of gangs, according to AFP, citing police data.
