Sri Lanka: No security threat though crime on rise

Colombo, March 9: Sri Lanka on Wednesday said that there was no security threat in the island nation despite an increase in the crime rate.

Security has been tightened in the capital city of Colombo and the south, and most of the incidents of crime had occurred due to personal conflicts, Xinhua quoted a police official as saying.

In recent weeks, Sri Lanka has recorded a surge in gang-related shootings, the latest being on March 5, when a pregnant woman was shot by two unidentified gunmen opposite Colombo's Welikada Prison.

The rise in shootings has also led to snap roadblocks in Colombo and special operational units were set up in many police stations in the country.

IANS