Police have nabbed the chief of the Panwilatenna regional hospital along with several others while hunting for treasure in a house located in Kamathe Gedara area at the bottom of the Rajagala mountain in Hunnasgiriya. According to Police, the group had been excavating and attempting to locate treasure using a ground scanner at the time of the arrest on Saturday.
Among the eight suspects arrested was the owner of the house, a retired resident manager of the Mahaweli Authority and two businessmen from Gampola, the Police said. One suspect had escaped during the raid. He has been identified as a resident of Gampola.
The investigating officers also confiscated a jeep the suspects had arrived in, a ground scanner, an excavation machine, explosives and offerings. The Police had also discovered a four-foot deep pit dug by them. The Ududumbara Police are investigating.