Police uncover bowser–lorry nexus

Police arrested six suspects in connection with the illegal sale of fuel from a bowser to two refrigerated lorries in the Puttalam area yesterday.

The bowser which had 13,200 litres of petrol and the two lorries connected to the incident too had been taken into custody in a joint operation carried out by the Anamaduwa and Puttalam Police.

The Anamaduwa Police had raided a house in Anamaduwa Thonigala area on information that some people were secretly supplying fuel to lorries from a fuel bowser.

Police also received information that a refrigerated lorry, which had already received petrol from the fuel bowser, was heading towards Puttalam. The Anamaduwa Police had promptly informed the Traffic Division of the Puttalam Headquarters Police about the matter.

The lorry had been stopped at the Fourth Mile Post on the Puttalam–Kurunegala Road and officers of the Puttalam Headquarters Police had found 4,000 litres of petrol stored in 20 barrels. They had arrested two suspects.

The officers of the Anamaduwa Police who joined the raid in the Anamaduwa Thonigala area meanwhile managed to arrest four suspects along with the fuel bowser and seized 9,200 litres of petrol and another refrigerated lorry with a stock of barrels that had come to get the petrol.

Police investigations that have been carried out so far have revealed that a bowser which was transporting fuel from Colombo met with an accident and the stock of fuel had been transferred to another bowser in the Madampe area.

It is said that those in the second bowser which had received the fuel had engaged in illegal selling.

The suspects arrested from the two lorries told the police that they were taking this petrol to the Silavathurai area in Mannar to be sold to fishermen who own motorboats.