The Kohuwala Police said that they have arrested two members of a gang which kidnapped two people and held them captive in a house at Kirulapana, threatened them with death and robbed them of nearly one million rupees.
The suspects had robbed Rs.8.7 million and 3,000 American dollars. Two persons involved in pyramid financial transactions had been returning to their car from a supermarket in Dutugemunu Street in Kohuwala when a gang of six persons who had come in three vehicles had kidnapped them.
Then the two persons had been taken to a house in Kirulapana area, locked up there after demanding money from them. When the two persons who were abducted had said that there was money in the vehicle they had been travelling in, the robbers the robbers had taken them to theplace where the car was parked and fled after stealing the money, the police said. The two robbed persons had complained to the police that the robbers had come in a BMW car, a KDH van and a Wagon R vehicle.
The two had complained further to the police that the gang had stolen the money they had obtained by selling two vehicles. Police said that the two suspects who were taken into custody are residents of Hambantota and that the complainants are residents of Angunukolapelassa, A senior police official said that several other people, including the two main suspects involved in the robbery, are to be arrested.
The suspects are to be produced before the Nugegoda Magistrate Court Investigations are being conducted on the instructions of SSP Mangala Dehideniya and Kohuwala HQI Wasantha Pitigala.
Bimal Jayasinghe