Police suspect underworld involvement in death of cricketer's father

RUWAN LAKNATH JAYAKODY-AM MAY 25 2018

Several teams of detectives are investigating the killing of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Councilor K. Ranjan de Silva alias Mahathun, who is also the Father of Sri Lanka Cricket National Team Player Dhananjaya de Silva.

According to what the Police have pieced together, de Silva and two others were seated outside his house on a bench along Sri Gnanendra Road (also known as the Sea Beach Road) in Ratmalana on Thursday (24) evening when three men walked towards them along the road and one of them allegedly opened fire using a T-56 assault rifle. All three were hit and fell and the shooter is said to have walked up to de Silva and fired several shots at close range.

The shooting had taken place around 8.30pm.

The Councilor was rushed to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital where he passed away several hours later. He was 62 years old.

Mount Lavinia Police are conducting investigations in this regard. The motive for the killing and the identity of the gunmen are not yet known.
Police told CeylonToday that they were investigating whether a local underworld character was involved in the killing.

The deceased was also the father of Former Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Councilor Savithra de Silva.

Since the shooting had taken place on the eve of the National Cricket Team’s departure to the West Indies for a test match series, Dhananjaya, the 26-year-old batsman and son of the deceased withdrew from the tour. Sri Lanka Cricket has not taken a replacement for the talented youngster who is a joint fastest to a thousand runs in Test Cricket hoping that he could join the squad later.


Detectives interview witnesses as Dhananjaya looks on