Polonnaruwa Division Crimes Investigation Bureau arrested a Police Inspector who was a former Crimes Investigation Division OIC of the Anuradhapura Police who is said to have been involved in the robbery of more than Rs.2.5 million in cash and gold items along with an infamous ‘Maranchi’ racketeer in Anuradhapura, subsequent to abducting a businessman, a resident of Medirigiriya, imprisoning him and assaulting him.
This Inspector was produced before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court and released on two personal bails of Rs.100,000 each.
The businessman had been abducted on September 15 with the help of this Inspector by a ‘Maranchi’ racketeer who is a resident of Anuradhapura and has very close connections with politicians and Police officers.
It is said that the businessman had come to Anuradhapura from Medrigiriya to buy tiles that morning, in a double cab belonging to him. He had met the ‘Maranchi’ racketeer and he and two other friends had gone to a hotel in Anuradhapura and consumed alcohol. The businessman had been kidnapped after he had consumed alcohol.
The businessman had been abducted and imprisoned in the ‘Maranchi’racketeer’s house. It is said that the businessman was assaulted after asking about an ancient statue that he is said to be in possession of. He had been robbed Rs.300,000 he had with him, two mobile phones, and gold jewellery he was wearing. It is stated that the value of money and gold items stolen is about Rs.2.5 million.
Then this racketeer had called the Inspector and taken him in the businessman’s cab and travelled from Anuradhapura to Medirigiriya. This was in search of that statue. The businessman stated that the Inspector was there dressed in civvies. The cab had been driven by the businessman. It is stated that while on their way to Medirigiriya, near the Habarana Police, the businessman had driven the vehicle into the Police station and told the officers there that he had been kidnapped. At that time, the Inspector and the racketeer had got down from the cab and run away.
The businessman had been preparing to file a complaint with the Habarana Police, but as the kidnapping and robbery had taken place in Anuradhapura, he was advised to go to Anuradhapura. Accordingly, the businessman had gone back to the Anuradhapura Police and filed a complaint there. It is said that due to the connections with the IP, the racketeer and the IP had, the complaint was not recorded as a crime and steps were taken to settle the issue.
North Central Province Senior Deputy Inspector General Rajitha Sri Daminda had received information about this and deployed officers and launched an investigation. The abducted businessman had made a complaint to the Anuradhapura DIG as the Anuradhapura Police did not act in a fair manner. This had happened on September 22. When the Anuradhapura DIG had taken steps to inform the Senior DIG about the complaint, he had instructed the DIG to investigate the matter through the Polonnaruwa Divisional Crimes Investigation Bureau. Accordingly, after a long investigation, several people, including the ‘Maranchi’racketeer named Suduputha, had been arrested. However, the arrest of the Police Inspector had been delayed.
There were various pressures on the Police from various people to save the Police officer from this criminal charge. As a result of Police authorities insisting that the law should be implemented against the IP, Polonnaruwa Division Crimes Investigation Bureau officers had taken steps to arrest him on Wednesday (22).
A top-ranked Police officer said that disciplinary action will be taken against this officer and he may even be interdicted.
Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe