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| Sunday, 11 September 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Jungle law in Hulftsdorp
Crime Sunday by Jayampathy Jayasinghe It happened so fast like in a movie where a man is shot dead before several persons in broad daylight and of all places at the Hulftsdorp Magistrate's court premises. People who heard the reverberating gunshots were quick enough to realise that something terrible had happened. The incident happened around 11.40 a.m last Thursday. Persons who testified at the inquest said that they heard the burst of gun shots from the direction of the Magistrate's Court Complex at Hulftsdorp. That was the spot where the Prison's Black Maria bus parked. Several dangerous criminals who were in remand custody were brought to Hulftsdorp that day in the same Black Maria vehicle. Slay or be slain The trouble erupted when a notorious criminal named Mohammed Rizwan (28) of Leemolawatte was escorted back to the Black Maria by Prison officers after appearing before the Magistrate. The suspect was a notorious underworld criminal involved in several murders in Colombo including that of "Kudu -Noor " another notorious drug dealer. He had also liquidated another underworld figure named Regan from a rival underworld gang. After all, Mohammed Rizwan had too many enemies who were after his blood. As far as he was concerned it was the law of the jungle that applied to him. Slay or be slain. He took it for granted that the Prison was a safe haven or a sanctuary and that his enemies would never get him there. After boarding the bus, he was seated at the rear of the bus when Thushara another remand prisoner rushed at him with a loaded .380 revolver and shot him point blank repeatedly four times on the chest. Whilst being shot at Rizwan held both his hands high as if to prevent a bullet going through his body and jumped out of the bus with blood spurting from his hands. Thushara pursued him and then finished him off with three more bullets shot to the back of his body. Rizwan bleeding profusely just fell flat outside the bus and collapsed. His wife standing beside the Black Maria collapsed after witnessing the gory killing. She sustained an injury on her head and was taken to hospital. On hearing the sound of gun shots, several prison officers milling around the Black Maria began to run in different directions. Soon after shooting Rizwan, suspect Thushara threw away the .380 revolver and surrendered to the police. Six empty bullet casings found at the scene were taken charge of by the police. Meanwhile, other prisoners who were inside the Black Maria vehicle jumped out and helped carry Rizwan in to a three wheeler that took them to National Hospital Colombo. The injured later succumbed to his injuries at the National Hospital Colombo. According to OIC Keselwatte Inspector Chandratilleke, Thushara when questioned as to how he came to possess the .380 revolver had lied to the police. He made several contradictory statements to the police regarding the weapon. He told police the weapon was concealed in a packet of lunch which was brought to him by a three wheeler driver. Another time he told them the weapon was found next to the seat where he was seated. Inspector Chandrathilake however realised that they were made up stories to cover the truth and is investigating how he came to possess the lethal weapon. Unravelling the mystery of the weapon would shed enough light on how the underworld operates in Colombo. The weapon According to Inspector Chandratileke, Thushara is wanted for several murders in Colombo. Investigations have revealed that he is linked to 6-7 murders committed in Colombo alone. A probe is underway to determine whether Thushara had belonged to underworld mafia boss Prince Colum of Granspass. Criminal profile When questioned about the shooting, Thushara told the police that it was a reprisal killing because Rizwan's gang had tortured him and broken both his legs on an earlier occasion. His other gang members including Mohammed Bari, Don Peter Rexi, too were eliminated by Rizwan's gang some time ago, while Prince Colum too was shot several times whilst inside and outside the prison. Meanwhile, the shooting at Hulftsdorp has sent shock waves among the law enforcement agencies, the Prisons Department and the legal fraternity. How can one guarantee the safety of persons including judges, lawyers litigants and even police officers from underworld hoodlums. The Prison authorities have interdicted three prison guards in connection with the incident and is holding an inquiry. |
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