Bambalapitiya Police have arrested four Excise Duty officers including an Excise Duty Inspector in connection with a shooting at a car yesterday evening (07) at Marine Drive in Bambalapitiya.
A group of people in a van had fired at an Aqua type car that came from a side road near a fuel station located on the Marine Drive in Bambalapitiya. Police information revealed that the car fled after the shooting and the van also chased after it.
According to the information received by the Police regarding this shooting, the van was stopped and the four occupants were arrested along with the weapon used in the shooting.
During questioning, it was revealed that the four are Excise Duty officials. The car that was shot at was found abandoned in Wellawatta Rohini Lane. The Police observed that the bumper of the vehicle was hit by bullets.
The Excise Duty officials have told the Police that the car in question was chased after by them following a tip-off regarding drug trafficking. Excise duty officials have told the Police that they had to shoot the car as it did not stop despite being signalled to stop. According to the information received by the Excise Duty officers, the car in question was transporting drugs.
Bambalapitiya Police are conducting further investigations.
Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe