| It was 8.20 a.m. on Monday when the security guard of a private bank, opened the door for the bank manager.
The bank, on the second floor of a building on Galle Road in Kalutara, was still not open for business, when the door swung open and a stranger walked up to the security guard and sought information of an employee. Before the unarmed guard could reply, the stranger pulled out a hand gun and ordered him against the wall with similar instructions to the manager and another frightened female employee.
“Every thing happened so fast, that I did exactly as the gunman ordered me to as there was little choice,” the guard, Paranagama Sumith Upendra told the Sunday Times. “However when I realized that the intruder had relaxed his hold of the weapon against my neck, I decided to act using my limited skills in karate.
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| Paranagama Sumith
Upendra |
“Within a flash I had the man on the ground and as the weapon slipped out of his hand, I gained more courage and lunged at him. The desperate gunman put up a fight before fleeing.”
“He jumped from the first floor to the street before taking to his heels. The bank manager and I gave him chase before we finally brought him down with the assistance of people in the vicinity,” Upendra who holds the service rank of Special Task Group Officer (STGO) said.
He said police had later revealed that the man was a notorious criminal wanted in connection with a series of robberies.
Major (Retd.) Vijitha Welikala, chairman of the security company in which Upendra was employed was full of praise for the guard.
“He will definitely be rewarded for his bravery. This is also a good day for private security agencies that have lately been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism,” Major Welikala said. |
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