Sri Lanka, Feb. 23 -- The government has launched an investigation to ascertain whether there is a certain hand behind the escalating underworld crimes or whether they are mere clashes among underworld gangs, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today.

He told reporters in Kandy that the recent incidents pose no threats to national security or the lives of the general public.

After visiting the Mahanayake Theras in Kandy, the President said underworld gangs have been nurtured with political blessings over the years and that now it had grown into a destructive network.

He said the government is making every effort to eradicate the destructive network, adding that the NPP government is capable of doing that.

The President said inform...