CC D busts biggest organised crime network

The Colombo Crime Division (CCD)which recently nabbed a gang of army deserters, have uncovered vital clues not only of their criminal rackets, but also of their links with terrorists. Investigations have revealed that over a period of time, while in military service, the gang had engaged in these activities unhindered. Investigators of the CCD arrested four of the nine persons who posing as members of the armed forces on a routine check in the Mattakuliya area, had stolen 6.5 kg gold worth Rs. 14.6 million from a goldsmith’s vault on July 12.

Director CCD, Senior Superintendent of Police Sarath Lugoda told The Sunday Times they had made a breakthrough into one of Colombo’s biggest organised crime network.“We are in the process of rounding up the other five suspects who have been identified. It’s just a matter of time till we nab them” he said. “So far the four who were arrested have provided very useful information and have confirmed their links with terrorists and the underworld while being in the army,” SSP Lugoda said.

When The Sunday Times asked how he managed to nab the suspects, SSP Lugoda said they had used “modern technology” but did not wish to disclose the techniques. Under interrogation the suspects who were nabbed last month, confessed to committing several crimes which ranged from robbery, extortion of money from businessmen, trafficking of narcotics and assisting LTTE operatives in Colombo.

On the night of July 12 at around 7.30 p.m. the group, two of whom were clad in military fatigues and armed with Chinese built T-56 assault rifles together with a person in police uniform armed with a .38 revolver, arrived with five others in civvies in a Toyota Dolphin van bearing number plate 58-4474 at number 29 Farm Road, Mattakuliya which is a jewellery workshop for jewellers from Sea Street.

When the group arrived at the premises, as usual the gate to the jewellery workshop was closed for security reasons. According to police, 22 workers were in the workshop attending to orders they had received from gold merchants from the Sea Street. The armed men who had used a three-wheeler and a motorbike in addition to the van had knocked on the gate and had ordered the workers to let them in. Workers believing the group were carrying out a routine check opened the gates to permit entry.

Police said one of the robbers who was said to have been intoxicated demanded to see the identity cards of the workforce. Seven of the workers who were Indian nationals had then shown their passports. One of the armed personnel clad in military fatigues had then accused a particular worker of having connections with the LTTE. When the said worker attempted to defend himself against the charge, he was assaulted.

Other workers too were also subject to assault and later taken into an abandoned storeroom in the workshop and locked up.

Using a cell phone one of the workers had called Muthulingam Pushparaj the owner of the workshop and informed him of what was taking place. On hearing the news Pushparaj accompanied by an associate had rushed to his workshop where he noticed the gates of his workshop wide open and a white Dolphin van parked in the premises. On entering the workshop he was confronted by a soldier carrying a weapon who subjected the two of them to a body search and subsequently put them into the room with the workers who were being held hostage.
One of the men had then taken Pushparaj out of the room and pointing a gun at him ordered him to open the vault.

Fearing for his life Pushparaj opened the vault and the armed men then emptied the gold bars from the vault into a bag. The men then put him back into the room with the rest of the workers, locked them in and fled the scene after taking all the mobile phones which were in possession of the workers.

According to the statement made to the CCD, eight mobile phones were taken by the gang. He emphasised he had lost his personal stock of gold as well as those he had taken to fulfil orders from clients. The four suspects were arrested from different parts of the island. The first suspect Priyantha Bandara a resident of Wattala was arrested on July 30. He was nabbed by CCD officers at Bibile.

The second suspect Lalith Prasanna, a resident of Kimbula Ella, Modara was also arrested on July 30 at Negombo. The third and fourth suspects who are identified as O.N. de Silva alias Chuti Aiya from Padukka and M.D. Kumara alias Sudu from Dambulla were arrested in a house in Weliweriya on July 31.

The CCD identified the third suspect O.N de Silva as an army deserter who was earlier attached to the 17th SLNG army camp at Ferguson Road Mattakuliya. Two others who are absconding are said to be from the army. Even after the robbery one of them is said to be still in military service.