News Today: Former airport security officer arrested with weapons and ammunition, raising fears of links to organised crime and past underworld networks.

A shocking revelation has emerged after a former airport security officer was arrested with a large cache of weapons and ammunition in Minuwangoda. The suspect, identified as Chandima Silva Jayaratne alias Gasma, who previously served as the President of the Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya (BIA branch), was taken into custody by the Minuwangoda police.

Senior DIG of the Western Province, Sanjeewa Dharmaratne, confirmed that the suspect has been detained under a 90-day detention order issued under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

During a raid on the suspect’s residence at Mudali Mawatha near Minuwangoda Hospital, police discovered an alarming stockpile of firearms, live ammunition, and sharp weapons. The seized arsenal included a foreign-made LUGER firearm, a .38 caliber revolver, a pistol, T-56 ammunition magazines, 14 rounds of T-56 ammunition, 9mm bullets, .32 caliber rounds, .22 caliber bullets, one sword, one dagger, and two prohibited knives.

Investigations have also raised suspicions that the former officer may have been renting out firearms to organised crime gangs. Police revealed that the weapons were kept in a transportable bag, making it easier to move them undetected.

When questioned, the suspect claimed that he obtained the weapons from Heenatiyana Asitha, a notorious underworld criminal who was killed inside Negombo Prison by a rival gang in 2005.

Authorities have confirmed that the seized weapons will be sent to the Government Analyst to determine whether they were used in past shootings or recent murders. Police believe this analysis could provide vital leads in solving several unsolved crimes.

This high-profile arrest has raised serious concerns about the infiltration of underworld elements into security services and the possible links between organised crime and former state employees.

The investigation is ongoing, with police determined to uncover the full extent of the suspect’s criminal activities and his possible network of accomplices.