Deserters desert their cause
 

Sunday Crime by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

The stationery shop at Kotta Road, Borella had a thriving business throughout the day which caught the attention of some private security men on duty at the nearby shops. They noticed that several customers patronised the shop to procure their requirements.

These security men had belonged to a private security company that provided protection to shops in the vicinity. Some of them had deserted their posts in the armed services for reasons best known to themselves. Some were involved in serious crimes whilst serving at various out-posts in the country.

After deserting their posts, these men had discreetly found jobs in private security companies owing to their experience and background in the armed services.

After all they had to find jobs somewhere to eke out a living. Providing security to private companies is a thriving business today due to soaring crimes. But what happens when security men entrusted with the task of protecting property and lives of people become robbers themselves during their spare time? The police often find tracing such criminals is a complicated and difficult task because many have not been convicted by any court of law. Simply they are not seasoned criminals known to the police.

The event unfolded on 16th November 2005 at Kotta road, Borella. The time was around 7.30. p.m. when five men in civilian clothing from a private security company under the cover of darkness stormed into the stationery shop at Borella and held up its proprietor, his son and six employees at gun point.

The robbers, five of them armed with Rambo type of knives threatened to kill the employees unless they follow their instructions. The fifth robber had a pistol in his hand which he moved about menacingly in his hand.

The robber then held the pistol against the head of the proprietor's son and demanded cash and other valuables in the safe. The robber threatened to finish him off if he did not comply with his request.

However the son sprang into action instantaneously and dealt a blow on the robber's hand. The robber went sprawling on the ground and the pistol which he held was thrown aside. It was at this stage the employees realised that the pistol was not a genuine one but a fake one.

The employees however fearing bodily harm did not want to intervene and grapple with knife welding robbers. The proprietor's son however fearing for the lives of the employees, reluctantly went up to the safe opened it and handed over cash of Rs 150,000, to one of the robbers.

The robbers thereafter ordered the employees, its proprietor and his son to kneel down on the ground, and tied them up with ropes and gagged their mouths to prevent them from shouting for help. Not satisfied with grabbing cash alone they removed two cellular phones from the shop and drove away with the proprietor's Toyota van.

Several hours passed before the employees finally set themselves free. On the following day the proprietor lodged a complaint at the Borella police station regarding the robbery.

Although the Borella police launched an investigation into the robbery they couldn't track down the robbers. Almost nine months had lapsed but there was no clue about the robbers. Despite his heavy load of work the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) Director, SSP, Sarath Lugoda on hearing the robbery launched a separate investigation. He detailed hand picked officers to follow up the case.

They worked on the case for nearly nine months through their informants collecting information about the whereabouts of the robbers. Finally the detectives managed to crack open the case.

They finally came to know the identity of the robbers and was surprised to learn that all were army, navy and airforce deserters on the run.

The men were from Ambalangoda, Dompe, Moratuwa and Wellawatte. Three of them were army deserters and the other two were deserters from the navy and the airforce.

The ring leader of the gang was an airforce deserter who sold the robbed Toyota van to an unknown person at Negombo, for a song. Two men who had come on a motor cycle had purchased the Toyota van. From the sale the robber had collected a meagre sum of Rs 200,000.

The airforce deserter later confessed to SSP Lugoda that the looted money was divided among the gang.

By the time the gang was caught they had run through the stolen money.

But the police were able to recover one cellular phone of the two cellular phones.

Meanwhile Director Lugoda had detailed a police party to recover the stolen Toyota Van. The five suspects were produced before court and was remanded till investigations are completed. An identification parade had been fixed for October 20.