Author name: Tharindu Withanage

The chronicle of an investigation that found the two expensive mobile phones from Rathgama that were lost by a tourist couple at Thuparama Temple –  This is the chronicle of an investigation by the Tourist Police Bureau, Anuradhapura, which has found the two mobile phones worth about 500,000 rupees, within a short period of time, which were lost at the Thuparama Temple by an Australian couple, who were in a visit to Sri Lanka for a tour. The couple had visited the Thuparama Temple in Anuradhapura on the morning of 18.12.2024, and while on the way to visit Asgiriya, they have realized that the two phones were missing and lodged a complaint with the Anuradhapura Police Station. The OIC of the said bureau, Inspector of Police Mr. A.W.M. Suresh Santhaka Athapaththu, who has started the investigation from the place where the phones were last seen, that is where the shoes were kept, and has contacted the monk in charge of the temple, who is currently living overseas by phone. Then he has examined the CCTV footage, and has identified the foreign couple, who had forgotten the two phones that were placed on the side wall near the place where the shoes are kept, and an unknown woman and a man who took the two phones and boarded a bus. The license plate number of the bus was identified with great difficulty through the CCTV footage and the owner of the bus was contacted through the Department of Motor Traffic and it was revealed that the bus had been travelling from Galle to Jaffna on the said date with a group of pilgrims on a pilgrimage. Accordingly, the head pilgrim of the group was contacted and the female and the male persons who had taken the two phones were brought to the Rathgama Police Station and taken into police custody on 21.12.2024. During an awareness programme for hotel owners held on 21.12.2024 under the patronage of the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Anuradhapura Division, Mr. Thilina Hewapathirana, Inspector of Police A.W.M. Suresh Santhaka Atapattu took steps to properly hand over the two relevant phones to the foreign couple. Moreover, the foreign couple, who was informed about the investigation that could locate their phones within a short period of about two days, had appreciated the commitment of the Sri Lanka Police.  

It has been observed that traffic police officers often use various types of flashlights for signaling vehicles to stop at night, and it may cause accidents due to the difficulty for drivers to handle and control the vehicle because of the light of the flashlights hit the faces of drivers, and that the officers are more likely to be involved in accidents by not wearing reflective jackets. Accordingly, as instructed previously the Acting Inspector General of Police has instructed the officers deployed in traffic duties to wear reflective luminous jackets and luminous gloves so that they are clearly visible to drivers when signaling to stop vehicles at night, and to use the red flashlights, to the furthest extent, which have currently been issued to police stations to stop vehicles in the future. Moreover, the Acting Inspector General of Police has further instructed the Headquarters Inspectors, Officers in Charge and Officers in Charge Traffic Police to constantly monitor whether the officers deployed in night duties are acting in the said manner.  

In the morning of 12.12.2024, a dead body of the 48-year-old man who resided in the Puwakpitiya area of Habarana was found near a hotel in Laksirigama of the Habarana Police area. Initially it was suspected that death was caused by a road accident, but by the preliminary investigation it was identified as a murder by slitting the throat. Accordingly, the officers of SOCO Habarana, fingerprint officers, and dogs from the Kennel Division were deployed to carry out thorough investigations to identify the criminal. Even though the identity of the suspect was revealed by the investigation, he had already fled the area. Therefore, the officers in police station Habarana launched a search operation to track down the suspect and were able to apprehend the suspect in the evening of 23.12.2024 while hiding in the Madurankuliya police area. The police found the purse wallet and the switch key of the motorcycle, which belonged to the deceased, in possession of the suspect. Further investigations are being carried out by the police station in Habarana regarding the suspect.  

Two more suspects were arrested in the Meegoda area during the investigations carried out by the police officers in the Western Province South Crime Division on 23.12.2024 over the shooting and killing of a man traveling in a car with his wife and child on the night of 14.12.2024, passing Nagahawatte in Meegoda. The suspects are of the ages of 26 and 33 and are residents of the Meegoda area. Based on information provided by one of the suspects, the investigating officers were able to recover a 9 mm pistol and 10 live ammunitions hidden on the bank of a ravine along the Meegoda Kurunduwatta Road. Accordingly, the police officers in the Western Province South Crime Division have arrested the shooter and 06 other suspects who aided and abetted the shooting and carried out further investigations on any other crimes they committed or are about to commit.      

Another suspect who aided and abetted in the shooting incident causing serious injuries to a woman near Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court on 14.12.2024 was arrested by the Colombo Crime Division on 24.12.2024 at Jampettah Street, in the Coastal Police Area. A married couple in Wellampitiya area who kept the firearm in their possession and a person who came to get the firearm from the couple were previously arrested on 20.12.2024 and 22.12.2024, respectively. Accordingly, further investigation has been conducted and this suspect, who has been arrested, was identified as the last person who smuggled the bag with the firearm. The three-wheeler he used to smuggle the bag with the firearm and the mobile phone he used for this purpose have also been taken into police custody. The suspect is a 37-year-old individual in Jampettah Street area. The Organized Crime and Intelligence Unit of the Colombo Crime Division took necessary measures to arrest the Shooter, motorcyclist in connection with this incident, within a period of one week. Further investigation in connection with this incident is being conducted.