Police probe actress's disappearance

Sunday crime by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

It was at a desolate location at Aturugiriya where the five-member gang were taught to shoot from their hips by a battle-hardened army Commando. The rugged young men who were in their early twenties had vowed to continue a path on crime to make a fast buck. The gang led an ostentatious living with robbed money. The young men got the taste of easy money and were now hooked on crime.

Besides that, they were coached by a veteran army commando to rob houses and stage hold-ups in the city and elsewhere.

Ironically, the Commando was attached to a detachment in the outskirts of Colombo. He led a double life and become a professional robber to earn quick money. Surprisingly, no one in the army had any inkling of what he was upto.

The other horrifying aspect was that a popular woman actress had been the mastermind behind the secret operation. She was as elusive as mercury, and the police were absolutely clueless about her activities. She rented out a house at Athurugiriya to plan her criminal activities, and invited the five member gang to share her home. Their strategy was to visit homes of wealthy lawyers, posing off as litigants and to rob them at gun-point.

A fortnight ago the gang broke into a home of a lawyer residing at Talawatugoda and robbed cash and jewellery to the tune of Rs 4,44000.00, after threatening to shoot down the inmates. The robbers hurriedly collected the cash and jewellery into a bag and made their escape in a blue coloured car.

Last week, the same six member gang headed by the army commando travelled in a blue coloured car to Malabe town around 2.p.m. The commando was armed with a T-56 automatic weapon, and the others had pistols in their possession. Their target was a lawyer's home located in the heart of Malabe town.

The gang parked their vehicle away from the house and stealthily walked into the lawyer's home, without arousing the suspicion of the inmates. The commando then went inside the home and demanded cash and jewellery from the inmates. He even threatened to shoot them one by one if they do not hand over their valuables. The stunned inmates screamed aloud, while the robbers ransacked the rooms.

The commando however managed to collect US Dollars 300 from a cupboard, while the rest of the gang fled the scene fearing neighbours' intervention. However the five gang members escaped in their car, leaving out the commando. The desperate Commando stormed out of the house firing shots in the air to scare the people who had gathered outside the lawyer's home.

They were all eager to know what was going on, unable to comprehend the real situation. Meanwhile, the army commando ran towards a KIA model car that was parked near the Malabe bus stand. He then threatened to shoot its owner, a businessman, and managed to hijack the vehicle,with him. He held the T-46 weapon against the driver's head and ordered him to drive towards the Malabe area. At a place named Muwangelawatte in the Malabe area, the commando bailed out of the vehicle and ran towards a shrub jungle to hide his T-56 weapon.

In the meantime, the Police Emergency room 119 was buzzed with several telephone calls on the daring robbery. Within a few minutes, OIC Talangama Police Inspector, Dassanayake and a police party were combing the area to apprehend the robbers. Several other police teams fanned across Talangama area in search of the suspects.

Meanwhile, on a tip-off by an informant, the elusive army commando was arrested in Malabe town by OIC Talangama Inspector, Dassanayake and party. After being questioned by the police, the army commando admitted having robbed a lawyer's home and was willing to show the spot where he hid the weapon.

He then took the police party to a shrub jungle in Muwangelawatte and retrieved the hidden T-56 weapon from a bush. While doing so, he fired at OIC Talangama Inspector Dassanayake who miraculously escaped death. The bullet missed him only by a few inches. Meanwhile, OIC Crimes, Inspector Anil shot the army commando before he could fire at them.

Thereafter, the suspect was rushed to the Talangama hospital but he succumbed to his injuries, on the way. OIC Talangama, Police Inspector Ranjt Dassanayake said that they are looking out for the film actress who had disappeared from her home at Athurugiriya. " She might be able to reveal a lot about the gang, as she was involved in their activities." he said.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested two more gang members from Pita-Kotte area. Police also learnt that the army commando who was shot dead by the police, was involved in a murder case in the Hikkaduwa area, a few months ago.