Bogus beggars - a threat to society?
 

Sunday Crime by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

The night police patrols that fan across the Kandy town daily in search of undesirables, thieves, robbers and perverts who lurk under the cover of darkness were briefed by the police intelligence to keep a wary eye on a terrorist suspect who had infiltrated into the city to cause mayhem and destruction.

The search for the fugitive went on for several weeks without yielding any result. It was a futile effort as the man they were looking for had slipped thorough the drag net before being apprehended. In fact no one had any inkling about the person they were looking for, as they had not seen him before.

There was no photograph nor a picture of the terrorist suspect but only an intelligence report. However police were suspicious of strangers especially those who came from the North-East.

With a terrorist threat looming in the air, DIG Central Province Nimal Mediweka placed Kandy town and its suburbs on the red alert as it was Perehera season. Thousands of pilgrims and devotees from all parts of the country flocked to Kandy town and it became a nightmare for policemen to keep a tab on a terrorist suspect.

However it was during this period that a top STF Commodore was killed in a landmine explosion in Kandy while travelling in his vehicle. Following the assassination a relentless search was made for the terrorist suspect.

Suspect

However after the Kandy Perahera a string of events unfolded following the arrest of a man. A police night patrol from Kandy randomly picked up a man sleeping near the Kandy bus stand. The police questioned him at length and learnt that he wasn't a beggar after all although he disguised himself as one. After unmasking him police further learnt that he was a suspected LTTE cadre who had arrived from Vavunia to assassinate an important Minister from Kandy.

The man vehemently denied of his involvement of smuggling two claymore mines that were found in the Kandy town on an earlier occasion.

However it was a serious matter, a confession being made by a suspect about the plot to assassinate a minister. A top level investigation was launched by the Kandy police about the assassination plot but the police simply could not make any headway. Thereafter IGP Chandra Fernando entrusted the investigation to Colombo Crime Division (CCD) Director SSP, Sarath Lugoda to probe further to unravel the mysterious plot.

The suspect taken into custody by the Kandy police too was handed over to the CCD for a further probe. After being questioned the suspect revealed that he belonged to a seven member armed gang of the LTTE operating in the Vavunia district. He said their job was to eliminate opponents when instructed to do so by the LTTE hierarchy.

Risky operation

By now SSP Lugoda realised that it was important to round up the other suspects operating in Vavunia. As it was a risky operation to trail suspects in a conflict zone such as Vavunia he enlisted the support of DIG Nimal Leuke, Director, of the Special Task Force (STF).

He requested assistance to provide STF Commandos to proceed to Vaunia to apprehend the other suspects. Following the request a contingent of STF Commandos accompanied and CCD officers left for Vavunia in the latter part of August.

Acting on information STF Commandos and the CCD sleuths stormed a house at Poorathotom in the middle of the night and took in to custody four members of the suspected LTTE gang. Police recovered 2 hand grenades, 189 T-56 ammunition, 2 pouches, 2 Ninja masks, 7, T-56 magazines etc buried in the backyard of the house. Following the arrest the suspects had confessed that two of their cadres had removed two T-56 rifles and ammunition and left home earlier that day.

It was revealed that they were on a mission to assassinate two policemen in the Vavunia town. The four suspects taken into custody were later brought to the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) for further questioning with regard to the assassination plot.