Sri Lanka Police said the four suspects arrested so far following the exchange of gunfire between a gang of armed robbers and police officers during a jewellery shop robbery gone awry in broad daylight in Matara, are notorious criminals connected to a number of other crimes.

Three police officers and two civilians were injured and hospitalised following the shootout outside a jewellery shop in the Matara town, between several armed men wearing helmets who were robbing the store and policemen responding to a witness phone call, at around 10.45am this morning.

One of the wounded police officers, identified as a Constable by the name of Weerasinghe Gedara Suranga Pradeep Weerasinghe (69532), succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the Matara Hospital’s ICU.

Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne has decided to posthumously promote the police officer who died in the line of duty to the rank of Sergeant.

Two motorcycles used by the suspects, one ‘Mini-Uzi’ submachine gun, eighteen 9mm bullets and a magazine sound at the scene of the incident have been taken into custody.

Following a search operation carried out in the vicinity by the police immediately after the gun battle, one of the suspects was caught in the Hunukotuwa area.

The suspect was identified as Chamara Indrajith Jayasundara, a resident of Maligathenna in Veyangoda.

He is also the main suspect in the shooting and killing of an individual and injuring four others including a pregnant woman during a musical show at Nittambuwa on April 21, 2018.

The other three suspects were arrested after they had admitted themselves into the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital with gunshot wounds.

One of them has been identified as Dharmakeerthi Tharaka Perera Wijesekara a.k.a ‘Kosgoda Tharaka’, who is a notorious criminal involved in organized crime and wanted by the police in connection with several crimes.

Police said that he is currently receiving treatment in the ICU of the Karapitiya Hospital.

Another injured suspect was identified as Dharmakeerthi Maduka Nirmal Perera Wijesekara, the brother of the aforementioned ‘Kosgoda Tharaka’, while he too is in the intensive car unit of the hospital.

The other arrested robber is an individual by the name of Irandeniya Athula Kithsiri Kumara, a resident of Dutuwewa.

In addition to this police have also taken into custody Kosgoda Tharaka’s mother, Agampodi Janaki Priyanthi Soysa, under whose name one of the motorcycles used by the suspects was registered under.

Police also discovered a locally-manufactured firearm (Galkatas) which uses 9mm bullets inside her home.