Main suspect in over Rs.6 Mn gold robbery arrested

Police have arrested the main suspect in the recent robbery of gold jewellery and cash worth over Rs.6 million from the owner of a vegetable stall in Mount Lavinia.

Several suspects who came in a trishaw had robbed the vegetable stall owner in broad daylight after placing a knife and threatening him with death.

Police had arrested the suspect with much difficulty as he had climbed a telephone transmission tower located inside a temple in Dehiwela.

The suspect is a 44 year old man a resident of Polgasowita. Police said that the suspect is heavily addicted to drugs.This suspect was caught by the police a while back for carrying out several robberies brandishing a pistol stolen from the Kohuwala police.

A civil defence soldier had stolen the pistol that was used by the OIC of the Crime Division of Kohuwala police at that time. It was revealed at that time that he had given the firearm to this suspect.

The officers of the Mount Lavinia Division Criminal Investigation Bureau, who conducted a thorough investigation regarding this robbery, first arrested an associate of the main suspect.

Police had also found nearly three million rupees worth of gold he had pawned.

SSP Mangala Dehideniya said that while the police launched a raid to arrest the main suspect after receiving information he was at a location in Dehiwela, he had climbed a telephone transmission tower.

Police information disclosed that the suspect had submitted conditions to the police to come down from the tower and had requested not to file a case against him in the High Court.

It is said that he had climbed a height of 250 to 300 feet in the tower.

After much persuausion the suspect had been brought down from the tower and arrested and during a search the police had found 10 grams and 100 milligrams of heroin in his posession.