Captain, gangster arrested over crimes
The Murder and Organized Crimes Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said that a leading member of the underworld and an Army Captain
were taken into custody with firearms and live ammunition connected to a number of crimes, while hiding in a hotel near Lake Gregory in Nuwara Eliya.
Along with the two suspects, a T-56 firearm, 108 live rounds of ammunition, Browning type two pistols and 26 live rounds of two types have been taken into police custody.
An officer involved in the raid said that the secret number of the T-56 firearm taken into police custody had been erased.
The arrested underworld member is one of the main followers of ‘Homagama Handaya’, who is apowerful figure of the underworld and is hiding in Dubai, and a number of police stations in the island have filed forty-two money fraud cases against him as well as two open warrants from a magistrate’s court. This information had been revealed during police investigations.
While investigations were being carried out under the instructions of IGP C.D.Wickremaratne, regarding an incident where individuals had gone to the house of a Mahara Prison Guard in Minuwangoda in the month of May and threatened inmates with firearms and made them kneel, information regarding the two suspected mentioned above had been revealed and a police officer said that as a result it was possible to arrest them.
It had also been revealed that the Army Captain who was arrested was serving at an Army Camp in Ratnapura had obtained leave three days ago and arrived in Nuwara Eliya.Investigating officers said that it is highly likely that the Army Captain was an informant of the underworld member.
Police said that they are conducting further investigations to find out whether this is the T-56 firearm that was used to shoot and kill a person in Niyandagala, Homagama on June 20 and whether the underworld member is a member of the team that came for that purpose and that they have received assistance regarding this from the army captain.
The two suspects who were arrested are due to be detained for 72 hours under detention orders and question. A team of police officers including Inspector Wickremarachchi, Inspector Samarathunga are carrying out further investigations under the guidance of SSP Hemal Prashantha, Director of the Murder and Organized Crimes Division, based on instructions of CID DIG Prasad Ranasinghe.