There have been 66 shooting incidents in Sri Lanka so far this year; 48 of them were over underworld turf wars, according to the Police Headquarters.
Police data reveals that 35 people have been killed and another 37 injured in the shootings across the country since 01 Jan. 2025.
Meanwhile, five shootings have been reported from the Panadura South and Hirana Police Divisions over the past two and a half months. They resulted in one death and injuries to five individuals.
Police suspect the violence in Panadura stems from an ongoing turf war between two underworld figures — ‘Kudu Salindhu’ and ‘Panadura Nilanga’.