Gang posing as cops steal Rs. 850,000 on three occasions in a fortnight

Police have so far failed to arrest a gang of thieves who claimed to be Police officers and looted gold jewellery and cash worth Rs. 85 lakhs on three occasions in 17 days.

This gang claiming to be Police officers have carried out a robbery on June 29, where a businessman of the Panadura Millaniya Police Division was kidnapped, bound and robbed of Rs. 25 lakhs in cash and gold jewellery. Two days later, another businessman’s wife and child were attacked at their home in Kahatuduwa in the Mount Lavinia Police Division and looted of gold jewellery worth nearly Rs. 20 lakhs.

On July 15, a house in Haltota in the Anguruwatota Police domain in the Panadura Police Division was attacked, where the businessman and his family were robbed of nearly Rs. 40 lakhs in jewellery and cash.

The sources also stated that the thieves had come to each of those places knowing the name of the businessman, and some of the robbers had been dressed in police sports uniforms and behaved like real police officers.

A Police officer stated that analyzing the behaviour of the thieves, it seems that among the members of this gang are Police officers who have been suspended or have deserted the service.

In order to arrest this gang that is engaging in looting and defying the Police, instead of only handing over respective cases to senior Police officers in the respective regional Police areas, a special Police team should be appointed to bring the suspects to justice, residents of these areas say.