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| Sunday, 10 April 2005 |
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Alert police nab caller, ransom money, accomplice Crime Sunday by Jaympathy Jayasinghe It happened a fortnight ago when a wealthy businessman from Kohuwela received an anonymous telephone call while relaxing at home. The caller's voice was quivering. There was a sense of urgency in what he said. The man said that he needed Rs 500,000 urgently and failure to do so would result in his son being abducted and tortured. A chill went down his spine when he heard these words. He also severely warned the businessman not to complain to the Kohuwela police station. The threat put him off completely which sent him into a tail spin. But what could he do under these circumstances? Who could this man be? Was it the work of some one trying to play a prank on him or was it a real ransom demand by the underworld he pondered? The businessman was too frightened to figure out the threat. But he had to act quickly to get out of the dilemma. He was really frightened when the caller identified the school that his son attended. Now that his son's life was in danger something had to be done quickly to save him. He summoned his courage and decided to lodge a complaint at the Kohuwala Police station. He was also instructed by the police to lodge another complaint at the Colombo Crime Division (CCD). The Director Colombo Crime Division (CCD) SSP, Sarath Lugoda who patiently listened to his story quickly figured out that it was a real ransom demand. He detailed a team of plain clothes policemen headed by an OIC to track down the extortionist. The businessman was instructed to have in his possession Rs. 500,000 in thousand denomination notes and hand it over to the extortionist when he demands it. As anticipated the extortionist phoned the businessman the next day and told him to bring over the money to the Fort Railway station. The businessman promptly telephoned the CCD and informed them about the ransom demand. The OIC, CCD informed the businessman to send his driver to the Fort Railway station along with the money and to hand it over to the extortionist. He assured him that policemen will keep an eye on the suspect and will not allow him to slip away with the loot. The time was around 2 p.m. when several CCD plainclothes policemen took up vantage positions opposite the Fort Railway station. They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the extortionist to arrest him forthwith. Meanwhile the businessman's driver arrived with a bag stashed with Rs. 1,000 notes at the Fort Railway station. Having parked his car a few yards away from the Fort Railway station he walked up to the main entrance of the railway station and stood outside its gate. The driver expected the extortionist to turn up at any moment and seize his baggage containing the cash. The policemen too kept a vigil and were monitoring the movements of people from their gum shoes. It was a gruelling task to monitor hundreds of people at the Railway station. They had to wait in ambush for more than two hours expecting the man to turn up. But alas, nothing happened. Nobody turned to take the money and the inquiry was called off. Meanwhile the CCD sleuths were racking their brains to locate the telephone from which the caller first made his call to extort money. But it was an arduous task for CCD officers that such technology was not available with them to trace calls. So they had to wait patiently till the caller rang up again. Later CCD officials had sought the assistance of experts to trace anonymous calls and were ready to nab the caller who demanded Rs 500,000. Well on the third day around 10. a.m. the anonymous caller rang up again and told the businessman to bring along with him Rs. 500,000 to a spot at Gower Street Colombo 5. Soon after receiving the call the businessman immediately rang up the CCD and informed them about the ransom demand. CCD officers rushed a team of plain clothes detectives to Thimbirigasyaya and told them to be on the lookout for a persons taking calls from a public telephone booth. The CCD officers by this time knew that some one was making a call from a public telephone booth near Gower Street. Asked how the CCD was able to track the telephone booth, Senior Supdt. of Police, Sarath Lugoda was reluctant to disclose the method as it could jeopardise future operations as well. Meanwhile the detectives were able to locate the public phone booth at Havelock road. They saw a person making a call in a suspicious manner. But before the police could question the man he boarded a bus bound for Nugegoda and disappeared. However after a short spell the same person appeared again before the telephone booth and phoned somebody. The businessman was previously instructed by the police to switch on an additional cellular phone whilst conversing with the extortionist so that they could hear the conversation. By this time the policemen got closer to the telephone booth and were listening to the conversation. They could hear the same identical conversation on a cellular phone which they had in their possession. Now they were able to establish the fact that the man was conversing with the businessman. The drama unfolds. Several CCD officers in mufti are detailed at Gower Street to apprehend the man when he comes to remove the ransom money. The businessman's driver appears at Gower Street with the money in a bag and places it under a tree. After a few minutes a man appears and collects the money while the policemen pounce on him and arrest him. By this time the man who made the call from the public booth too had been arrested. Detectives later uncovers that the mysterious caller who demanded money was a driver employed by a relative of the businessman. The man who picked up the money at Gower Street was identified as a barber from Mahiyangana. SSP Sarath Lugoda said they are looking out for more men to be arrested in this connection. |
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