Author name: Tharindu Withanage

Two individuals, who demanded a ransom of one million rupees from a woman in Kelaniya Police Area, after issuing death threats over the phone, have been arrested by the officers of Western Province North Crime Division, on 22 – 12 – 2014 in Dalugama and Pattiya Junction of Kiribathgoda Police Area. It has been uncovered through the initial investigation that these individuals issued death threat to the woman based on the instructions of a drug trafficker in abroad. Police has seized a mobile phone, which may have been used to make such death threats, for further investigation. Those two suspects, who are at the age of 35 and 53, are residents of Kelaniya.

A team of officers in the Special Task Force camp Buttala conducted a raid in Yala National Park of the Gonagan Ara Police Area. During the raid, the officers were able to round up 06 cannabis cultivations of nearly 13 acres and arrest four suspects. The said suspects were produced at the police station, Gonagan Ara, in the evening of 23.12.2024, for further investigations. The suspects are in the ages of 30, 37, 42, and 43 and are the residents of the Urubokka, Middeniya, Ambilipitiya, and Katuwana areas, respectively.  

On 19.12.2024, officers of the Western Province South Crime Division apprehended the shooter, who shot and killed a 35-year-old man in a forest area by Nagahawatta Road while traveling to his residence in Meegoda, Ovitigala, with his wife and child in a car after attending a party at his elder brother’s house on the night of 14.12.2024. Furthermore, a suspect who aided and abetted the crime was also taken into custody along with the T56 firearm and live ammunition used for the homicide. Three more suspects who abetted the crime were arrested on the afternoon of 22.12.2024 from the Meegoda and Homagama Police Areas. The three suspects, who are 22, 26 and 38 years old, are residents of Padukka and Meegoda areas. One of them is a person who came with the shooter to commit this crime, while the other two individuals have been arrested on the charges of aiding and abetting and conspiring to commit the crime.  The Western Province South Crime Division and the Meegoda Police Station are jointly conducting further investigations to find all the suspects in connection with this crime.

“Report information through the emergency hotlines 119 and 1997 in relation to vehicles, including public transport buses, that are driven recklessly and violate traffic rules.” As per the instructions given by the Acting Inspector General of Police, an island-wide search operation on vehicles is to be carried out on 23.12.2024 until the end of the festive period with the aim of breaking the continuity of road accidents which were largely reported during recent days. Accordingly, inspections will be conducted mainly on public passenger transport busses to check whether the drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and busses will also be scrutinized for reckless driving, speeding, traffic violations, and mechanical defects, including unsafe tires. Legal action will also be taken against such drivers. Simultaneously, inspections will be carried out on other vehicles as well and for that, officers will be deployed island-wide, around the clock.  The primary aim of this special search operation, which has been implemented under the guidance of the Acting Inspector General of Police, is to encourage the public to use public transportation during this festive period while safeguarding drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. The public can report instances of reckless driving and about the drivers who violate traffic rules to the emergency hotlines 119 and 1997 and also to the mobile numbers of the officer in charge of the Police Division to which the respective area belongs or to the mobile numbers of the officers in charge of other traffic divisions mentioned below. Further, videos or photographic evidence of traffic violations can also be submitted via WhatsApp to the designated mobile numbers mentioned above, and legal action will be taken based on such information received.  

The officers of the Colombo Crime Division, who raided the area of Michael Perera Mawatha on the night of 21.12.2024, have arrested the motorcyclist in connection with the shooting incident occurred causing grievous injuries to a woman  in front of the Magistrate’s Court Maligakanda on 14.12.2024. The Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit of the Colombo Crime Division arrested three suspects, including the shooter, and one female suspect on 20.12.2024, and during further investigation, information was revealed about the motorcyclist, who is a 35-year-old resident of Colombo 14. Accordingly, information network was updated regarding the apprehension of this motorcyclist and subsequently, the arrest was made based on a piece of information received that the motorcyclist was wandering about near Michael Perera Mawatha. At the time of arrest, the suspect was also found to be in possession of 16 grams and 550 milligrams of the narcotic, ice, and at the same time, the suspect’s mobile phone was taken into police custody and further investigations are to be conducted. The assassination attempt was carried out on the instructions and direction of an organized criminal who remains abroad.

On 21.12.2024, officers of the Intelligence Division of the Police Special Task Force raided a house on Kudabutgamuwa Road in the Angoda area and arrested a 24-year-old youth who was in possession of 817 grams and 800 milligrams of ice (crystal methamphetamine) and 02 electronic scales that were used to weigh the drugs. Under the operations conducted to fight against drug trafficking, the information has also been uncovered that this youth who distributes drugs is in connection with an organized criminal who runs the drug trafficking network in the country while hiding in Dubai. The officers of the Police Special Task Force have taken action to arrest the said suspect while he was at his residence.