List of Sri Lankan mobsters
Encyclopedia
This is a list of some notable organized crime
figures within the underworld of Sri Lanka
.
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
figures within the underworld of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
| Name | Life | Years Active | Comments | References |
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| Kotte Sunil alias Gonawala Sunil | d. 2000 | 1970s-1980s | Gonawala Sunil is one of the earliest criminal gang leaders in Sri Lankan underworld. He allegedly had major connections with the UNP government at that time. He was involved in the massacare of 53 prisoners Welikada prison massacre The Welikada Prison Massacre took place during the 1983 Black July pogrom against Sri Lankan Tamil minority in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Fifty-three prisoners were killed inside a high-security prison. No one has been convicted of crimes relating to these incidents.- Crime scene :The prison is shaped as... at Welikada Prison Welikada Prison The Welikada Prison is a maximum security prison and is the largest prison in Sri Lanka. It was built in 1841 by the British colonial government under Governor Cameron. The prison covers and area of . It is over-crowded with about 1700 detainees exceeding the actual member that could be accommodated... in 1983 and raping a 14 year old girl in 1982. He was convicted of the murder, and was serving in prison when he was famously released on a presidential pardon Pardon Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves... given by President President of Sri Lanka The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power... J.R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene , famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence... just before the 1982 presidential election Sri Lankan presidential election, 1982 The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1982 was the first presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 17 September 1982, and the election was held on 20 October 1982. Electoral participation was 81.06%. Incumbent president J. R. Jayewardene of the governing United National... . Subsequently, he was made an all-island Justice of the peace Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions... (JP). He had also been the bodyguard of Opposition leader Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka) The Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lanka is the politician who leads main opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the Parliament... Ranil Wickremasinghe Ranil Wickremasinghe Ranil Shriyan Wickremesinghe , MP, is a Sri Lankan politician and current Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan parliament. He was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka twice, from May 7, 1993 to August 19, 1994 and from December 9, 2001 to April 6, 2004... , who was the Minister of Education of the J.R. Jayawardene government at that time. Sunil was killed in a shoot out with Police on May 20, 2000. |
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| Arambawalage Don Upali Ranjith alias Soththi Upali | d. 1998 | 1980s-1998 | Allegedly backed up by the UNP government of President President of Sri Lanka The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power... Ranasinghe Premadasa Ranasinghe Premadasa Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to January 1, 1989... (1988-93), Soththi Upali was the most powerful underworld figure of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... during that time. He was said to be a close ally of B. Sirisena Cooray, the Minister of Housing and Construction of Premadasa government. Sri Lankan Police Sri Lanka Police Service The Sri Lanka Police Service is the civilian national police force of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The police force has a manpower of approximately 85,000. It is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace... officers allegedly have addressed him as "sir" during that time. He served as a reserve sub inspector at one time and was included in the UNP executive body by President Premadasa. In 1997, a presidential commission Presidential Commission Presidential Commission may refer to:*Presidential Commission *Presidential Commission *Presidential Commission of Uganda*Presidential Commission of Ghana*Presidential Commission on the Status of Women... appointed by President President of Sri Lanka The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power... Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005... concluded that Upali was directly involved in assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali Lalith Athulathmudali, the former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and Deputy Minister of Defence of Sri Lanka was killed at 8:10 p.m. Sri Lanka Time on 23 April 1993 in Kirulapana... . Before the trial against him was finished, he was killed by a rival gang led by Dhammika Amarasinghe on December 17, 1998. |
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| Usliyanage Chinthaka Nalin Perera alias Chinthaka Amarasinghe | d. 1996 | 1980s-1996 | Amarasinghe was considered to be the arch rival of Soththi Upali, when he was at the height of his power. Also involved in numerous other murders, he gunned down Malu Nihal and Cheena – who were major henchmen of Upali, at Gothamipura in March 1993. It was alleged that Amarasinghe was supported by politician affiliated to People's Alliance People's Alliance (Sri Lanka) The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party... . Chinthaka Amarasinghe hails from a cime-related family, with his uncle Noel Amarasinghe was the chief suspect in the Kollupitiya Tavern robbery case in 1966. He was killed at Thotalanga by a rival gang led by Kalu Ajit in 1996. |
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| Usliyanage Ruwan Dhammika Perera alias Dhammika Amarasinghe | d. 2004 | 1990s-2004 | Brother of a former underworld stalwart Chinthaka Amarasinghe, Dhammika Amarasinghe is considered to be the most feared Sri Lankan underworld figure, ever. He was wanted for at least 50 murders and 17 bank robberies during 1990s to 2004. It was reported that Dhammika had lost 16 of his family members due to the clashes with other underworld gangs. He was a close associate of Thilanga Sumathipala Thilanga Sumathipala Uduwatuwage Janapriya Thilanga Sumathipala MP is a Member of Parliament representing the Colombo District.... , the Colombo District Colombo District Colombo District is the smallest district in Sri Lanka with an area of 642 km². It is located in the Western Province, on the western coast of the island. Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo and the political capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte are located in this district... MP Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... . In 1999, Sumathipala - when he was the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, facilitated Dhammika to go and watch the Cricket World Cup 1999 Cricket World Cup -England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------... held in England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... . This sparked a huge controversy in Sri Lankan political arena. He was also associated with Lohan Ratwatte Lohan Ratwatte Evindaa Lohan Ratwatte MP is a Member of Parliament representing the Kandy District. He is the son of General Anuruddha Ratwatte, ex acting Diyawadana Nilame and former Cabinet Minister... , a Kandy District Kandy District Kandy District is a district of the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its area is 1906.3 km². The capital of the district is Kandy.- Demographics :... MP Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... . Dhammika was killed on January 9, 2004 inside the court room no.6 of Colombo Magistrate by an Army deserter named Siriwardanage Chaminda Udaya Kumara. It was speculated that he was killed in order to conceal the conduct of several high ranking politicians, during the hearing of court cases. |
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| Ajith Dhammika alias Kalu Ajith | d. 1997 | 1980s-1997 | Kalu Ajith was involved in the killing of Chinthaka Amarasinghe in 1996. He was killed by Chinthaka's brother, Dhammika on July 16, 1997. | |
| Atapattu Hewasam Liyanage Don Wasantha Dharmasiri alias Kaduwela Wasantha | d. 2002 | 1990s-2002 | Kaduwela Wasantha was a major criminal gang leader during 1990s. He and five other gang members were killed on Wesak poya day, May26, 2002, by a rival gang led by Karate Dhammika. | |
| Baddegane Sanjeewa | d. 2001 | 1994-2001 | Sanjeewa worked as a police sergeant at the President's Security Division (PSD) of President President of Sri Lanka The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power... Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005... and as Kumaratunga’s private body guard when she was the Chief Minister of Western Province Western Province, Sri Lanka The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.-Districts:Basnahira is divided into 3 districts:... . He was accused of a number of murders and assaults including the murder of "Satana" editor Rohana Kumara, assault of Rukantha and Chandralekha Gunathilake, assassination of Kumar Ponnambalam Kumar Ponnambalam Kumar Ponnambalam was a prominent defence lawyer and a controversial minority Tamil nationalist politician from Sri Lanka... , burning of the house of actress Anoja Weerasinghe Anoja Weerasinghe Anoja Weerasinghe is an award-winning Sri Lankan film actress.- Career :Weerasinghe rose to popularity in cinema after winning the Silver Peacock Award for the Best Actress at the New Delhi International Film Festival in 1987 for the film Maldeniye Simion, directed by D.B. Nihalsinghe.- External... and attack on The Sunday Leader The Sunday Leader The Sunday Leader is an English-language Sri Lankan Sunday newspaper privately owned and published by Leader Publications, which is known for its outspoken news coverage.-Controversy and retaliation:... editor Lasantha Wickrematunge Lasantha Wickrematunge Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was a prominent Sri Lankan high-profile anti-government journalist, media personality, politician and human rights activist who was assassinated in January 2009... in 1998. Sanjeewa was killed by the mob led by Dhammika Amarasinghe on November 2, 2001 allegedly under the orders of the former Minister of Defense, General Anuruddha Ratwatte. |
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| Moratu Saman | d. 2003 | 1990s-2003 | Key suspect of the assassination of the controversial politician Kumar Ponnambalam Kumar Ponnambalam Kumar Ponnambalam was a prominent defence lawyer and a controversial minority Tamil nationalist politician from Sri Lanka... . Moratu Saman was initially a close ally of Dhammika Amarasinghe but eventually fell out with him. Amarasinghe attempted to kill him in 2002. He was killed by a rival gang led by Thoppi Chaminda in 2003. |
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| Koswattage Donald Nihal Wickremasinghe alias Nawala Nihal | 1976-now | Nihal was involved in several murders and extortion rackets over the years. He killed the prominent underworld figure, Kalu Ajit and two of his henchmen at Aththidiya. He is considered as the current godfather of Colombo underworld. | ||
| Kitulgamaralalage Ajith Wasantha alias Vambotta | d. 2006 | 2000-2006 | It was reported that 3 of Vambotta’s sisters were allegedly raped, tortured and killed by a rival family. This had led to a series of revenge killings with more than 25 of the rival family members being killed and their property destroyed. He was wanted for 10 murders, extortion and kidnapping. He had allegedly started his life by selling vegetables at Sooriyawewa Sooriyawewa Sooriyawewa is a rural town in Sri Lanka. It is located in Hambantota District of Southern Province, Sri Lanka.... , hence the name Vambotta (Brinjal). He was killed by a rival gang named "Ratnaweera gang" in April, 2006. |
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| Jayakody Arachchige Ruwan Perera alias Olcott | 1977–2010 | 1988-2010 | Hailed from Magazine Road, Borella in Colombo city, He was linked to more than 28 killings, several robberies and abductions in Colombo and its suburbs. He earned a lot of fortune through drug trade Illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the... , especially heroin. He owned two luxury residences in Colombo and Kurunegala Kurunegala Kurunegala , is the capital of the North Western Province, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was also an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 13th century. The town itself is a busy commercial and a transport hub... . Olcott was involved in the LTTE’s failed assassination attempt of President President of Sri Lanka The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power... Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005... along with Thel Bala and Kimbulaela Guna, two other notorious gang leaders. He disappeared from Sri Lanka after that and lived in Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh... for more than a decade. He returned to Sri Lanka in 2009. His mansion was stormed by Special Task Force Special Task Force The Special Task Force is an elite special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Police Service specializing in Counter-Terrorist and Counter-Insurgency operations. It was formed in 1983 not as a military force but rather as a highly specialised police unit... soldiers in September 2010. He was arrested and subsequently killed by the soldiers, when he tried to grab the weapon of an officer. |
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| Kamal Dammalarachchi alias Dematagoda Kamal | 1971-2010 | 1990s-2010 | Dematagoda Kamal was involved in at least 15 murders including the killing of Dushyantha Senevirathne – the Leader of Opposition in the Galle Galle Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District.... Municipal Council Municipal council A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term... . He was killed when he allegedly tried to throw a bomb at the Police. |
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| Sinniah Gunasekeran alias Kimbula-Ela Guna | 1990s-2008 | Kimbula-Ela Guna was a major drug dealer in Sri Lanka. He was involved in LTTE activities also. He took part in LTTE’s failed attempt to kill President Chandika Kumaratunga in 1999. After that, he fled Sri Lanka and is currently living in Tamil Nadu, South India. It is alleged that he had monitored and conducted the drug traffiking activities in Sri Lanka from there. In 2008, he was arrested by Tamil Nadu Police Tamil Nadu Police The Tamil Nadu Police Force is the law enforcing agency / department of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is over 150 years old and is the fifth largest state police force in India. Tamil Nadu has a Police population ratio of 1 : 632.-Administration:... . |
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| Thel Baala | 1990s-2000s | Thel Baala was a prominent drug dealer and gang leader around Bloemendhal garbage dump in Sri Lanka during late 1990s and early 2000s. He was shot dead by a rival gang led by Prince Colum. | ||
| Prince Colum | 1973-2007 | 1992-2007 | Prince Colum is involved in various murders in Kotahena and Grandpass areas. His major areas was the around Bloemendhal garbage dump. Colum was killed by a rival gang in 2007. | |
| M.K. Imtiaz alias Anamalu Imtiaz | d. 2009 | 1990s-2009 | Anamalu Imtiaz was involved in at least 39 murders including contract killings, extortion and the drug dealing. He operated in Maligawatte. He was kidnapped and killed by an unknown rival gang on July 9, 2009. | |
| Mohammed Niyas Naufer alias Potta Naufer | 1990s-2005 | Potta Naufer was a major drug dealer and mobster in Colombo. He is most notable for the assassination of High Court Judge, Sarath Ambepitiya Sarath Ambepitiya Sarath Ambepitiya was a Sri Lankan judge. He was serving as the Judge of the Colombo High Court when he was assassinated... in 2004. After the apprehension of Naufer in 2004, he was sentenced to death and serving prison time at Bogambara Bogambara Prison The Bogambara Prison is a maximum security prison and is the second largest prison in Sri Lanka. Situated in the old city of Kandy in the Central Province it was built in 1876 by the British colonial government under instructions of Inspector General Of Prisons and Police, N.R. Saunders... . |
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| Gurusinghange Priyantha alias Neluwa Priyantha | 1966-2011 | 1989-2011 | Neluwa Priyantha was a powerful mobster in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka Southern Province, Sri Lanka The Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. The region is economically backward compared to the Western province, where the capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte is situated... . His major businesses were Marijuana plantation and cattle robbery. Priyantha was responsible for at least 25 murders and his gang had accounted for at least 84 murders. He was shot dead by Police Special Task Force Special Task Force The Special Task Force is an elite special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Police Service specializing in Counter-Terrorist and Counter-Insurgency operations. It was formed in 1983 not as a military force but rather as a highly specialised police unit... in July 2011. |