Sri Lanka is witnessing a troubling surge in gun violence, with 22 people killed in 27 shooting incidents since January 1, police reports reveal.
The wave of underworld-linked attacks has spread across key areas, including Mount Lavinia, Mannar, Galle, Kotahena, and Devinuwara, leaving civilians, suspected gang members, and even a former prison official among the victims.
One of the most shocking incidents unfolded on February 19 in Middeniya, where a man and his two young children were brutally gunned down.
On the same day, notorious underworld figure Ganemulla Sanjeewa was assassinated inside the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court by a suspect disguised as a lawyer.
The brazen nature of these attacks, many carried out in broad daylight, has raised serious concerns over public safety and the unchecked spread of firearms in criminal circles.
The violence began escalating in January, with a contract killing in Mount Lavinia on January 19, where two men were executed for Rs. 1.5 million.
Earlier that month, a dried fish merchant narrowly escaped a shooting in Devinuwara, while gunmen targeted a house in Dodangoda.
On January 31, a triple homicide in Hiniduma, Galle, left three people dead, including a lodge owner.
February saw even more targeted assassinations. A suspected gang member was killed in Kotahena on February 10, while a man was shot near a school in Minuwangoda on February 7.
Following the high-profile courtroom killing of Ganemulla Sanjeewa, two more individuals were shot dead in separate incidents in Ja-Ela and Kotahena on February 21.
March brought further bloodshed. On March 13, former Boossa Prison Superintendent Siridath Dhammika was fatally shot at his home in Galle.
The next day, a man known as Podi Sudda was gunned down in Ambalangoda.
On March 22, two young men were killed near the Devundara Sri Vishnu Devalaya, marking yet another deadly attack in Devinuwara.
Police say multiple arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing, but the alarming rise in gun violence has heightened fears over the growing influence of criminal networks.
Authorities are under mounting pressure to take decisive action to curb the violence and restore public safety.
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