Police have arrested two brothers accused of transporting the firearm and assisting gunmen in the killing of an attorney and his wife in Akuregoda, Talangama.

The suspects, aged 20 and 24, are residents of Nawagamuwa and were taken into custody in the Kottawa area on Feb. 16 while traveling in a car.

Police said the two brothers had provided information about the location of the lawyer’s vehicle and facilitated the attackers.

Investigations based on CCTV footage and other evidence, revealed that the firearm used in the shooting had been transported in a car rented by the suspects for seven days.

According to Police, the brothers had been instructed by two organized crime figures currently overseas — Tharindu Madhusanka, also known as “Tutu,” and an individual known as “Modara Nipuna” — to rent a vehicle for a week. They allegedly obtained a black car from an rental service in Kottawa.

Police said the suspects later collected a parcel containing firearms from a location in Kotikawatta, delivered by a three-wheeler, and handed it over near a supermarket in Akuregoda hours before the shooting.

Investigators have determined that the brothers were aware for about a week that the firearms would be used to kill the attorney.

They had also monitored the victim’s routine and informed the gunmen that his vehicle was parked at the supermarket car park on the day of the shooting.

The gunmen subsequently arrived in a separate vehicle and opened fire, killing the 44-year-old attorney, Buddhika Mallawarachchi, and his 42-year-old wife, W.A. Nisansala. The suspects then left the area toward Hokandara, Police said.

Further questioning has uncovered details about the gunmen, including that one had checked into a hotel in Pannipitiya three days before the shooting. The suspects are alleged to have provided him with crystal methamphetamine (ICE drugs) and other forms of assistance.

The second gunman is believed to have arrived at the hotel on the day of the shooting.

Police said the brothers had reportedly not received any money for facilitating the crime but were given narcotics. Police also alleged the suspects were involved in drug trafficking operations locally on behalf of the two overseas crime figures.

The torched vehicle believed to have been used by the gunmen was later found on a byroad in the Agaliya area of Baddegama, Galle.

Investigations are being conducted under the direct supervision of the Inspector General of Police with oversight from senior officers in charge of the Western Province.

The funeral of the slain attorney and his wife was held on Monday afternoon at the family cemetery in Pitigala, attended by relatives and members of the legal community from across the country.

The shooting occurred last Friday in the car park of a supermarket located about one kilometer from the Army Headquarters in Akuregoda, Talangama.

Two unidentified gunmen arrived in a vehicle, carried out the shooting and fled the scene. (Newswire)

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