Investigation afoot to arrest two suspects

An investigation is underway to arrest the two suspects who broke into a tourist hotel in Boossa, Handanagoda and intimidated the owner, a British woman, and stole gold and cash worth over Rs. 1.6 million on March 3 at dawn, Rathgama Police said.

Police said that the owner, Margaret Legg (60), has been living in Sri Lanka for 15 years and had worked as an English teacher in Italy for a while.

On the day, she had heard dogs barking at dawn when two men had entered her hotel room and intimidated her, the police said. The thieves had then stolen a pair of diamond earrings that she was wearing together with two diamond and golden pendants and fled.

Police said the stolen jewellery items are worth about Rs. 1.6 million.

A senior police officer said that investigations are being carried out using security camera footage and other scientific evidence to arrest the suspects.