The most-wanted woman in Sri Lanka, accused of being involved in the daring courtroom murder of a suspected drug kingpin, has been captured in Nepal, police reported.
Ishara Sewwandi, 25, allegedly disguised herself as a lawyer to sneak a revolver into Colombo’s court, hidden inside a hollowed-out Criminal Procedure Code book in February.
An accomplice, also in lawyer attire, is accused of fatally shooting Ganemulle Sanjeewa, who was facing drug-trafficking charges. The accomplice was quickly apprehended after the incident.
Sewwandi, arrested with five others in Nepal this week, is set to be extradited to Sri Lanka to face murder charges, according to police spokesman F.U. Wootler.
“We had support from Interpol to locate them, along with IT and intelligence aid and operational assistance from the Nepali police,” Wootler told AFP.
Police, who had offered a 1.2 million rupee ($4,000) reward for information leading to Sewwandi’s capture, stated she initially fled to neighboring India by boat before traveling to Nepal.
She was arrested alongside another woman and four men, all allegedly connected to drug trafficking.
“In total, six individuals were detained following a four-day operation,” Nepal Police spokesman Binod Ghimire told AFP. “This was accomplished in close collaboration with Sri Lankan authorities.”
The man believed to have masterminded the courtroom murder was captured in Indonesia and extradited to Sri Lanka in June.
Wootler noted that another 22 Sri Lankan suspects, all tied to drug-related killings, are thought to be hiding abroad, and authorities are working with Interpol to locate them.
