Police have identified the main suspect in the shooting incident which injured two Buddhist monks including the chief incumbent of the Kataragama Kiriwehera Rajamaha Viharaya.
Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said that the suspect has been identified as Asela Lakshman Bandara, who had previously worked at the Mahasen Devalaya at the temple as a Kapurala.
Police said that the suspect has fled the area and that investigations are being carried out to apprehend him. Following a search carried out at the suspect’s residence, police had found swords daggers and other weapons.
The chief incumbent of the Kiriwehera Rajamaha Viharaya Ven. Kobawaka Damminda Thero and another monk were injured and hospitalized after being shot at.
The shooting had reportedly occurred at around 10.50 pm last night (12), within the temple premises. It was carried out by three individuals who had arrived in an SUV, which was later found by police.
The monks were rushed to the Kataragama Hospital with gunshot injuries and later transferred to the Hambantota Base Hospital for further treatment.
Ven. Kobawaka Damminda Thero was airlifted and admitted to a private hospital in Colombo today (13).
Four police teams and a police Special Task Force (STF) team have been deployed for the arrest of the suspects involved in the shooting.
