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Police investigations have revealed that Ishara Sewwandi, the main suspect in the murder of organized crime figure Ganemulla Sanjeewa, fled Sri Lanka by boat from Jaffna and spent about three weeks in India before travelling to Nepal by road, spending nearly Rs. 6.5 million on her escape. Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler told reporters that Sewwandi was tracked down and taken into custody in Nepal by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and a special police team operating under the direct supervision of the IGP. Investigations revealed that following the fatal shooting of Sanjeewa Kumara Samararatne, alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa, inside the Aluthkade Court Complex on February 19, Sewwandi had fled the country with the help of an accomplice known as JK Bai. She reportedly spent about Rs. 6.5 million to escape to India, where she stayed for nearly three weeks before travelling by bus and train through various routes to reach Nepal. Police said Sewwandi was finally located and arrested on Monday while hiding on the top floor of a multi-storey house in a mountainous area of Nepal. Four others, including another woman, three close associates of Kehelbaddara Padme, and a Tamil man who sheltered her, were also arrested during the operation. The suspects are expected to be brought back to Sri Lanka within the next few days. Sewwandi was wanted over the murder allegedly orchestrated by Kehelbaddara Padme’s criminal network. The alleged gunman, Samindu Dilshan Piyumanga, was arrested by the Special Task Force in Palaviya, Puttalam on the same day as the shooting. CCTV footage later revealed that a woman had assisted the shooter by bringing the firearm concealed inside a legal textbook, later identified as Ishara Sewwandi, a resident of Minuwangoda. Police further disclosed that Sewwandi had even prepared a fake passport under another woman’s name to facilitate her movement across borders and evade arrest. Meanwhile, ASP Wootler said that Sri Lankan authorities had issued a red notice for her arrest through Interpol. He added that red notices have been issued for 40 criminals who have fled overseas, of whom 18 have been brought back to Sri Lanka this year. Between 2021 and 2024, the government has also confiscated assets worth over Rs. 3.9 billion belonging to organized criminals, he said. Meanwhile, Lalith Kannangara, widely known as “Bus Lalith,” a member of a criminal gang, has been arrested in Dubai. He was wanted in connection with several crimes, including shootings and extortion in Avissawella, Homagama and Kaduwela areas. It was alleged that Bus Lalith had orchestrated the shooting on former Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha member Shantha Mudunkotuwa, who died in a shooting on August 12 in Padukka.