Investigations have revealed that in the last few days, the underworld criminal Ravindu Warna Rangana alias Booru Moona, who is known to be responsible for nine murders, has received the help of a lawyer to stay in hiding. According to investigations, this criminal has even prepared to surrender to the Avissawella Court with the help of a lawyer. A team of officers from the Avissawella Police arrested him last Friday before he surrendered to court.
Police said that Booru Moona, who was arrested by the Avissawella Police, was placed under the charge of the Southern District Crime Division of the Western Province and based on the information disclosed by him, 662 grams of C.4 type high explosives were found buried in Dasawella area of Hanwella. The Police sources stated that Booru Moona had revealed upon questioning that underworld gangster Lalith Kannangara who is in hiding in Dubai, arranged for him to receive this stock of explosives and that he was preparing to use the explosives as bombs to attack two houses.
This stock of explosives was found after the arrest of Booru Moona, who was detained for 72 hours through a court order while investigations were being conducted. The 72-hour detention period was supposed to end yesterday (19). In view of the current situation, Booru Moona will have to be detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act to conduct investigations regarding the explosives, a senior police officer said.
As of yesterday (19), Booru Moona had admitted that he had committed six of the murders, so far. The shooting at a house in Ratgama on July 31, 2022, the shooting at Hikkaduwa of two people who were traveling on a motorcycle to appear in a case pending at the Galle High Court on October 31 of the same year, the shooting of one person at Uragasmanhandiya, the shooting at the owner of the Muslim Hotel in Hanwella and the shooting of a person at a business place located at Ambagaha Junction in the Welikada police division are the murders he has admitted to, the police said. These six murders have occurred in five shootings. He had also said that the killings in Rathgama and Hikkaduwa were done based on a contract given by Rathgama Vidura.
Booru Moona had said during police interrogations that he fell into the underworld when he was in the Navy because Podi Lassie’s gang had started threatening his family members. He had also mentioned that he joined Rathgama Vidura’s gang because Podi Lassie’s rival gang was Rathgama Vidura’s gang.
During interrogation, Booru Moona had said that his friends used to make fun of him as Booru Moona during his school days, and he had taken one such student who made fun of him the most to the top floor of the school’s storied building, beat him up, lifted him up by his feet, thrown him on the ground and held him upside by his feet to scare him.
Booru Moona had also revealed during questioning that although he committed several murders in the south according to contracts given by Ratgama Vidura, he was involved in the shooting in Hanwella according to a contract given by Lalith Kannangara. He had said that he had been introduced to Lalith Kannangara by Rathgama Vidura and got to know him over the phone.
Booru Moona has said that he got involved in the murder at Hanwella because Lalith Kannangara had promised he would get him to Dubai and before the murder, he had even prepared a foreign passport for him in someone else’;s name.
Police information stated that he was crying in the presence of police officers, during the interrogation, requesting not to shoot him dead. When a team of police officers from the Galle Division Criminal Investigation Bureau came to the Western Province South District Crime Division to investigate the murders in the South, police information revealed that he kissed the feet of the police officers and wailed and cried, pleading, “Budu sir, don’t kill me”.
Information has been obtained through investigations that he had come from Godagama to surrender to the court on the 17 March. Booru Moona also said during police questioning that he had come in a car with a lawyer.
He had also said that after he was caught at the Katunayake airport, he called Lalith Kannangara and told him about it, while at the airport itself. Booru Moona had also said that he had been in hiding for a few days in Hettipola Rittadeniya Sri Jaya Lankarama Temple when the police were searching for him for the Hanwella murder.
He had also said during questioning by the police that the police officers did not put him in a jail cell after the airport police arrested him. He had said that he even had a cigarette with the police sergeant. Booru Moona said that the two monks of Rittadeniya temple had come to the police with a message from Lalith Kannangara. Booru Moona also told the police that the two monks had told him that Lalith Kannangara was engaged in a big operation to free him and that he would prepare a vehicle and send it to the police.
Booru Moona has said during interrogation that according to what was said, Lalith Kannangara had sent a car to the police station and a person in that car came to the police and signalled to him while he was sitting on a chair inside the station. Booru Moona said he had mentioned to the police sergeant there that “a friend of mine has come, he has a bottle, let’s have a drink,” and then gone to the car under the guise of bringing the bottle got in and fled.
On that day, Booru Moona, who escaped from the police, had stayed in a hotel in Negombo for two days. Then he had gone to Kurunegala. From there he had gone to Dambulla with a lawyer.
It is said that the lawyer had kept him hidden for several days in a house in Maradankadawala.
According to information received by the police, this lawyer is from Ruwanwella. It is said that Booru Moona, who had been unable to flee from place to place, had finally decided to surrender to court. It is said that the lawyers had asked for a lot of money to provide legal assistance. It is mentioned that Booru Moona was in hiding until Lalith Kannangara sent him Rs. 1 million which was the fee the lawyers had asked for. The Northern District Crime Division of Western Province said that Booru Moona had told them that he was not aware of details about payments made.