‘Bus Lalith’ Brought Back to Sri Lanka After Dubai Court Orders Deportation

COLOMBO (News 1st); Alleged organized crime figure Lalith Kannangara, alias "Bus Lalith," was brought back to Sri Lanka in the early hours of today after being deported from Dubai.

The operation was carried out on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) by a team comprising officers from the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), State Intelligence Service (SIS), and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Bus Lalith was initially arrested in Dubai in November last year. Police investigations revealed that the arrest was made after authorities obtained crucial information during the questioning of one of his close associates who had been taken into custody in Sri Lanka.

Based on the intelligence gathered, the suspect was located and arrested at an apartment complex in Dubai by a team of Sri Lankan law enforcement officers who had travelled to the United Arab Emirates for the operation.

Although arrangements were subsequently made to bring Bus Lalith back to Sri Lanka, the suspect challenged the move by filing legal action before the Dubai courts.

However, a Dubai court recently delivered its verdict, ordering that the suspect be deported to Sri Lanka, paving the way for his return.

Police said Bus Lalith is a suspect in connection with a number of murders, extortion rackets and robbery-related crimes that have taken place in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, police also revealed that four other alleged organized crime figures, including Ranjith Kumara Dissanayake, popularly known as "Konda Ranji," have been arrested in Dubai.

Authorities said steps are already underway to bring the four suspects back to Sri Lanka in the near future as part of the ongoing crackdown on organized crime networks operating locally and overseas.