Police stated that Sobanahandi Sanath de Silva, alias ‘Raju,’ was apprehended following coordinated intelligence sharing between Sri Lankan and Indian authorities. He is the brother of Sobanahandi Jayalath de Silva, also known as ‘Karandeniya Sudda,’ who is believed to be the leader of an organized criminal gang linked to a series of murders in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province.
Investigations have revealed that while ‘Karandeniya Sudda’ allegedly led the gang, the execution of assassination contracts was primarily carried out by ‘Raju.’ The suspect is wanted in connection with more than 15 হত্য killings, including the হত্য of a doctor and former Police Inspector Balendrasinghe.
Police further noted that ‘Raju’ had previously served in the Police Special Task Force (STF) and later joined the Army Special Forces before deserting and becoming involved in organized crime.
Authorities had earlier secured an international ‘Red Notice’ for his arrest after he reportedly fled the country with his brother using a forged foreign passport and had been residing in Dubai for several years.
Recent intelligence indicated that ‘Raju’ had arrived in India and was attempting to flee to a European country using a visa. Acting on this information, Indian security forces arrested him on April 13.
A team of officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is expected to travel to India either tonight (15) or tomorrow (16) to facilitate his repatriation to Sri Lanka.
