Masquerades
Criminals posing as security personnel threaten the business
community
Ransom demands made by criminals masquerading as security personnel
sent ripples down the spines of the business community in Colombo during
the past few months and efforts to trace them became a futile effort.
The business community in the metropolis however were sceptical and wary
about the role played by the security forces deployed in their areas.
They always suspected policemen and security personnel as culprits.
Even policemen probing such cases were baffled initially due to the lack
of evidence.
But as time went by police were able to unravel the mystery
surrounding ransom demands made by criminals. On an earlier occasion few
criminals involved in such ransom demands were apprehended by Grandpas,
Pettah and Kotahena police stations. Knowing very well the heat was on,
and police were on their trail the criminals shifted their modes
operandi to Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya areas.
Meanwhile several businessmen living at Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya
area were abducted and robbed by men masquerading as policemen from the
Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A number of such abductions and
robberies were reported from January to mid March this year from the
Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya areas.
The victims were Tamil businessmen residing in these areas. OIC
Crimes Wellawatte, Chief Inspector Deepthi Wijewickrema was aware of a
gang that was operating in the Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya areas where
Tamil persons were abducted and robbed of their belongings. The modes
operandi of the gang was to inform unsuspecting victims they were from
the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The victims were abducted in a three wheeler taken to a lonely spot
and then robbed of their belongings such as cash, gold jewellery etc.
Although Inspector Wijewickrema detailed a team of policemen to keep an
eye on any suspicious persons hovering about in the Wellawatte area
attempts to nab the gang became a futile effort.
Most Tamil persons who arrived in Colombo were from distant places
and were awfully scared to complain to the police thinking that they
would be victimised further. It became a headache for the Wellawatte
police as well when the victims did not come forward to lodge complaints
at the police station.
But fortunately last week a man turned up before OIC Crimes,
Wellawatte police station Chief Inspector Wijewickrema and narrated his
tale of woe. He was a son of a retired police officer.
Whilst walking along Galle Road he was accosted by two persons who
claimed that they were CID sleuths. They demanded his National Identity
Card (NIC) and when he produced it they told him they were not satisfied
with it and would like to question him further.
Thereafter the man was bundled into a three wheeler taxi and was
taken to a lonely spot around 6.30 p.m. The two CID officers then
demanded his gold chain worth Rs. 50,000 and the Automated Teller
Machine (ATM) card. They also learnt of the secret code number of the
ATM card. The ATM card was issued from a reputed private bank in Sri
Lanka. After the man was robbed of his belongings they let him go
without any hassle.
The CID officers left the man in the lurch and proceeded towards
Ratmalana in the same three wheeler Taxi. The men then arrived at a
private bank at Ratmalana and using the ATM card, withdrew Rs. 10,000.
A few days later the man who was robbed turned up before Chief
Inspector Wijewickrema and informed that a sum of Rs. 10,000 had been
robbed from his account. The Chief Inspector, after obtaining a court
order proceeded to the bank at Ratmalana immediately where the CID men
had withdrawn Rs. 10,000.
He was accompanied by the complainant who was robbed a few days ago
at Wellawatte. After discussing the incident with the bank manager,
Chief Inspector Wijewickrema had access to the images of the Closed
Circuit Television (CCTV) that was concealed near the Automated Teller
Machine.
Meanwhile the man was able to identify the two CID officers who
robbed him that day. After obtaining the photo images of the two
robbers, Chief Inspector Wijewickrema went back to his office and
sounded an alert.
He then showed the photographs of the two robbers to his coterie of
policemen and a man hunt was launched to arrest the two bogus CID
officers. On a tip off the Chief Inspector arrested the two bogus CID
men at their homes in Ratmalana and Moratuwa areas. They were young men
between the ages of 25-28. One man was a heroin addict.
Both men had visited Casino night clubs in the Colombo city and had
spent lavishly. Police later recovered stolen gold jewellery pawned at
banks and at private pawn shops at Moratuwa and Ratmalana.
Meanwhile Chief Inspector Wijewickrema is looking for the third
suspected man, the three wheeler driver from Panadura who had
participated in several robberies.
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