Minuwangoda Murders - All because of a dispute over a Kite?

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A triple homicide was reported from the Minuwangoda area this morning, and reports suggest that these murders are linked to a kite case dating back to 2017.

At 6:30 AM on Thursday (6) morning, the time when many Sri Lankans are waking up, three men were brutally gunned down in Gamangedara, Minuwangoda.

A 51-year-old man and his two sons 23-years-old, and 24-year-old were brutally murdered adding more bodies to a string of murders.

Multiple shooters had visited their residence on a motorcycle, and a car and carried out the murder.

Unconfirmed reports said that the shooters were impersonating law enforcement personnel, and T-56 assault rifles were used for the murder.

The shooters have chased away the mother and sister of the two young men out of the house before carrying out the shooting. 

51-year-old Pushpakumara Silva alias Ralahamy died upon admission to the hospital, and his two sons 23-year-old Roshan Maduwanta and 24-year-old Suresh Jeewantha died on the spot.

Sri Lanka Police and neighbors' revealed to News 1st that a dispute over a kite dating back to 2017 was the root cause for the murders.

On the 25th of August 2017, one of the young men who was gunned down on Thursday (6) was flying a kite in a field nearby, and it had gotten entangled with the kite sent up by Suraj Dananjaya, another young in the same neighbourhood.

The dispute between the men escalated to the next level, when Suraj Dananjaya's father Lal Premasiri visited the house of the slain men along with his son to inquire into the matter.

It was reported that following an exchange of words Ralahamy and his two sons who were killed on Thursday (6), and Ralahamy's brother had brutally killed Suraj Dananjaya and his father.

As the matter went to trial, on the 5th of August 2018 Justin Ratnaseela De Silva, the brother of Ralahamy and one of the suspects in Suraj Dananjaya's & his fathers murder, was brutally gunned down.

The main suspect in that murder was Lakshitha Lakmal, the cousin of Suraj Dananjaya, and son of Lal Premasiri's brother.

Lakshita was out on bail for the murder, and on 20th June 2021 he was knocked down by a car when he was traveling on his motorcycle, and was brutally hacked to death.

The main suspects in the murder of Lakshitha Lakmal were the father and sons who were gunned down on Thursday (6) morning.

On that same day in 2021 three houses were set on fire, and the three men had returned to a smaller house after being granted bail by the court.

The father and two sons were brutally gunned down on Thursday (6) morning as part of the string of murders linked to the 2017 Kite Case.

Three suspects connected to the triple homicide were arrested by Sri Lanka Police and the Police Special Task Force on Thursday (6) when they were traveling in an Anuradhapura Route 57 bus.