Two suspects including former driver arrested

The Police Colombo Crime Division have arrested two suspects in connection with the recent robbery in Colombo 7, where robbers escaped with a safe belonging to a private company with gems and gold worth over Rs.160 million.

The Police say the arrested include a former driver of the company, the mastermind behind the robbery. The two suspects were arrested near Thotalanga area in Colombo.

Some of the gemstones.

The Police also found 16 gems of different types and 10 grams of heroin in the possession of the suspects.

The Police say that the man who worked as a driver of the company run by a Chinese woman and two Sri Lankans and who had left it about 6 months is the main suspect in this large-scale theft.

On the morning of July 7, six people had come in a van and they had opened the main door of the company using a duplicate key which the Police said the main suspect had made when he worked there.

Police said the robbers had taken away the safe containing gems and gold.

Police said the two suspects were arrested when they were returning to the van after buying heroin from a dealer in Thotalanga.

During lengthy questioning of the suspects, it has been revealed that the stolen safe was taken to the Uvaparanagama area in Welimada and it had been opened using a grinder machine.

Police also said they have uncovered all the information related to the theft from the two suspects and hope to arrest the other suspects as well as find the stolen gold and precious stones.