Ex-Police Inspector Nishantha remanded over Weligama hotel shooting

2026-02-24 - 16:27

Jagath Nishantha, a former police inspector, has been remanded by the Matara Magistrate’s Court in connection with a shooting incident at the W15 Hotel in Weligama. The Magistrate ordered that the suspect be provided with special security while in custody and also directed that the next hearing be conducted via Zoom. Nishantha was taken into custody by the police at Bandaranaike International Airport when he returned to Sri Lanka yesterday (23), having been abroad since 2024. The incident occurred on the 30th of December 2023, when a team of eight officers from the Colombo Crime Division had been deployed to Weligama for a special operation. During the operation, gunfire was directed at the W15 Hotel in Weligama, after the officers, observing a group in a mobile patrol vehicle, mistakenly believed them to be the suspects. Two Colombo Crime Division officers were injured in the shooting, including Police Sergeant Upul Kumara, who later succumbed to his injuries. At the time, allegations were raised against then-acting Inspector General of Police, Deshabandu Tennakoon, claiming that deploying officers to the scene was unlawful. A parliamentary committee extensively investigated the incident, convened following a motion by Members of Parliament calling for his removal from office. During the committee proceedings, chaired by the current Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, the Colombo Crime Division officers who went to the W15 Hotel were summoned to give evidence. At that time, Inspector Jagath Nishantha was abroad. The committee noted in a special report that since he had been overseas in 2024 and had not returned to Sri Lanka, the police department had considered him to have abandoned service and had issued relevant documentation. During the judicial examination of the W15 Hotel shooting at the Matara Magistrate’s Court, travel restrictions were also imposed on former police inspector Jagath Nishantha.