The Kalutara Division Crime Investigation Unit said two persons who stole 116 gems were arrested.
A gem businessman from Dehiwala area was travelling on a bus from Colombo to Deyiyandara on December 21, when a person residing in Payagala area stole some parcels from his luggage and among the stolen parcels was a polythene cover containing 116 gems worth nearly Rs. 20 million, the police said. They also said that the thieves had left the parcel in the bus and got off from Beruwala area without knowing that there were gems inside the polythene cover.
Police said that the conductor had taken the parcel and found the gems inside and had hidden it in a wardrobe at his house in Urubokka, where they found it. An official who joined the raid said that the security camera system of the bus had been burnt for fear that his theft would be discovered.
Investigators began to probe the driver and conductor over the theft after observing the CCTV footage of the first suspect who committed the theft getting off the bus in a panic and running to a nearby medical centre without the parcel. The suspects were to be produced before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court.
The raid was carried out under the leadership of Officer-In-Charge of Raids Unit 1, Inspector of Police Sujith Silva, Sub-Inspector Dayasena, Sergeants Ratnayake (37109), Gunawardena (44817), Sarath (49251), and Constables Jayalath (69993), Kumara (26674) and Driver Police Constable Tharaka (15308) joined in the raid, led by Officer-In-Charge Chief Inspector Sanath Kumara, based on instructions of Kalutara Senior Superintendent of Police Kapila Premadasa and Assistant Superintendent of Police Duminda Rajapaksa.
by dailynews sri lanka
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