A 28-year-old has been arrested on charges of having assembled a firearm similar to a ‘sniper rifle’ by watching YouTube videos.
According to Aruna newspaper, the suspect, who is a resident of the Kalpitiya area in Wadduwa, was arrested by the Wadduwa Police yesterday (30).
He was arrested based on information received by the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Wadduwa Police station.
Investigations have revealed that the youth who had been addicted to drugs had returned home after undergoing rehabilitation.
The suspect had watched several YouTube videos and based on other information collected from fellow inmates at the rehabilitation centre had assembled a firearm similar to a ‘sniper rifle’.
The weapon had been built using waste plastic, white iron, springs, iron, and aluminum tubes, among other items, while he had used bicycle metal to create subsonic ammunition.
The Police said the suspect had revealed during interrogations that he had tested the weapon by shooting dogs and birds, with the animals dying as a result.
The Wadduwa Police is set to present the suspect along with the firearm before the Panadura Magistrate’s Court. (NewsWire)
