The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the answers are as follows.

¶ 02 01. I. An automated facial recognition system has been installed at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, to identify organized criminals when departing and upon arrival.

¶ 03 II. A centralized database containing information on organized groups and criminals operating within the island is maintained by the Crimes Records Division.

¶ 04 III. A special monitoring process has been commenced by deploying Police and intelligence officers to supervise 556 suspects arrested and remanded in connection with organized crime incidents.

¶ 05 IV. To immediately alert all police stations islandwide upon an organized crime incident, a WhatsApp group comprising Officers-in-Charge of police stations and designated state officers is maintained by the Crimes Records Division.

¶ 06 V. Islandwide raids, night patrols, day patrols, mobile patrols, snap roadblocks, permanent checkpoints, and intelligence gathering through field intelligence officers are being carried out under special police supervision.

¶ 07 VI. The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is acting with maximum necessary cooperation diplomatically with foreign states. Steps have been taken to obtain INTERPOL Red Notices for 72 criminals currently abroad. As a good example, five major criminals were recently apprehended in Indonesia and brought to Sri Lanka, and from 01.01.2025 to date, 116 organized criminals who were abroad have been apprehended and brought to Sri Lanka.

¶ 08 02. From 01.01.2025 to 10.09.2025, 105 organized crime incidents have been reported. In relation to these incidents, 33 shooters, 24 riders, and 265 accessories have been arrested—totaling 322 suspects taken into custody thus far.

¶ 09 Additionally, from January this year to date, a total of 1,698 firearms have been seized, including 58 T56-type rifles, 61 pistols, 40 revolvers, 169 locally made firearms, 33 galkatas, 6 repeaters, and 1,331 cutting tools and other weapons.

¶ 10 03. Many organized criminals, to evade the law, are clandestinely hiding abroad, primarily centering in the United Arab Emirates, Italy, France, Switzerland, Dubai, Indonesia, Canada, Russia, Oman, and India.

¶ 11 Sri Lanka is working diplomatically with maximum cooperation with foreign states. Red Notices have been obtained for 72 criminals currently abroad. Further, at present, 15 persons including 14 identified top-tier organized criminals and drug traffickers against whom Red Notices have been issued, have been arrested by Russia, Oman, Dubai, and India. Following action under the laws of those states, arrangements are being made, with the cooperation of INTERPOL, to bring these individuals to Sri Lanka; the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the advice of the Attorney General’s Department, are taking necessary action.

¶ 12 These criminal groups are not observed to be functioning as a “strengthened network” domestically; rather, the leaders travel abroad through illegal means and direct these operations from those countries. Monitoring indicates that the shooters involved are persons of low educational attainment and are addicted to narcotics, which enables their engagement in any crime.

¶ 13 In the past, connections between organized criminal groups and Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, and local politicians of various political parties, including provision of protection, assistance, and support, have been uncovered by intelligence. Based on that information and information obtained from suspects currently in custody, investigations are ongoing using technical methodologies. All parties revealed during these investigations are being continuously investigated. As court proceedings are underway and investigations are not yet concluded, it is not possible at this moment to state all matters definitively to this House. Thank you.