Sri Lankan police have revealed that a crime figure murdered earlier this year in Middeniya was in a vehicle that pursued rugby player Wasim Thajudeen shortly before his death in 2012.
Acting Police Media Spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa confirmed that the man, identified as Anura Vidanagamage, also known as “Middeniya Kajja,” was recognised by his widow in connection with the case.
According to police, Kajja was inside a vehicle that followed the car carrying Thajudeen shortly before the player’s suspicious death in Colombo. Thajudeen, a former Sri Lanka national rugby player, was found dead in his car in May 2012, with initial reports describing the incident as an accident. The case was later reclassified as a homicide.
Vidanagamage, who was alleged to have ties to organised crime, was shot dead in Middeniya earlier this year. His alleged role in the Thajudeen case has now resurfaced as part of ongoing investigations into both underworld activity and unresolved high-profile killings.
The killing of Thajudeen has long been mired in controversy. Reports in the Sri Lankan press linked the murder to members of the Rajapaksa family, with speculation around a dispute involving Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the brother of Namal Rajapaksa.
In 2015, a vehicle owned by Sri Lanka’s then first lady, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, was linked to the killing. The following year, a police officer arrested over concealing evidence in the case told the CID that he had been “ordered” by his seniors to halt investigations and treat the death as an accident.
Police say inquiries into Vidanagamage’s involvement and the broader Thajudeen case are continuing.
