The Sri Lankan murder suspect in the shooting and killing of a lawyer and his wife previously worked in the Maldives, and was detained this time before entry into Maldives, Mihaaru has reported. 

According to Sri Lankan media, officers from the country's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the man on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Friday. He has been handed over to the Western Province South Crimes Division as the investigation continues. 

Although media reports indicate that the man had been arrested in Maldives, no further details were disclosed. 

However, Mihaaru reports that the man had previously worked in the Maldives between 2021 and 2022. This time, he was detained at the Immigration check-in counters after arriving in Maldives on July 3. He was held in Immigration detention facilities before being extradited back to Sri Lanka. 

He was sent back on a flight to Sri Lanka yesterday afternoon. 

Sri Lankan media reports that Immigration had shared details of the suspect with relevant authorities. 

Maldivian police are yet to comment on the case. 

Sri Lankan police said that they had been searching for the man in relation to the shooting and killing of the couple on February 13 at the Akuregoda area, which is under the jurisdiction of the Thalangama Police Division.   

The lawyer and his wife were shot in the Akuregoda area in Thalangama, about 12km away from Colombo, while they were sitting in a parked car in the parking area of a supermarket.   

While Sri Lankan authorities have stepped up operations against drug and gang related crimes, the country is seeing a rise in gang rivalry shootings. 

Last year saw approximately 20 shootings in the country, resulting in several deaths. Sri Lankan Police have said that they have identified 57 gangs with approximately 1,400 members.