Nine suspects including Indian couple arrested for stealing jewellery at kovils

The Pundaluoya Police arrested nine suspects including an Indian couple for stealing chains from women at the Muttumari Amman Kovil at Lower Street, Pundaluoya.

The Indian couple has gone around the country with a group of local persons and engage in stealing jewellery, Police said.

A festival was held to open Pundaluoya new Kovil on March 24 and these suspects were roaming in the crowd of devotees and had robbed women of necklaces and chains.

The suspects had robbed the women of three chains and when the suspects were attempting to rob the fourth woman, she had felt it and screamed. Police said that as a result, the gang was taken into custody.

The other three women realized that they had been robbed when the fourth woman had screamed and the suspects were caught and handed over to Police.

One woman’s chain was worth over Rs. 1.6 million while the chain stolen from another woman had been valued at over Rs. 800,000. The third woman’s chain is worth over Rs. 5,00.000.

Initially, only two suspects had been taken into custody. The other suspects had been arrested during a special search in the kovil.

Police said that there are six women among the suspects arrested.

Apart from the Indian couple, the other suspects are residents of Kilinochchi, Sinnakulama, Puttalam and Digana. They are between the ages 27 and 53 years.

Several other people are said to be connected to this gang. Police said that they had fled with the stolen necklaces and chains.

The Indian couple had arrived in Sri Lanka on March 15. They are relatives of residents of Kilinochchi. The couple comes from India during festivals at Kovils and robs chains.

Police said that they had been caught by Jaffna, Kopay and Therippalai Police and there are court cases pending against them. These suspects have six warrants pending against them.

The nine suspect had been produced before the Nawalapitiya Magistrate’s Court and ordered to be remanded until March 29 and an identification parade is due to be held.