The leader of the “Ape Janabala party” Saman Perera is among the five individuals shot dead in Beliatta, the Police confirmed.
Prominent Buddhist Monks Athuraliye Rathana Thera and Galagodatte Gnansara Thera contested the last parliamentary elections under Saman Perera’s “Ape Janabala party” (Our Peoples Party) which won one seat in the election.
According to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the shooting had taken place while the victims were travelling in a Defender.
SSP Thalduwa told NewsWire that the defender had travelled from Colombo and had exited through the Beliatta interchange and had stopped on the side of the road.
He further said that an individual in a pickup truck that had arrived behind had shot at the driver while he was getting down from the vehicle, while he had also shot at the other passengers in the defender.
Initially, four of the passengers in the Defender had died in the shooting, while it was later reported that another individual who was hospitalised with injuries had succumbed to injuries, taking the death toll to five.
The Police are conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)