Dehiwela's dramatic debacle

Violence grips the town on Saturday before last:

Dehiwela- Mount Lavina area had been plagued with serious crimes like murder, robbery, violence, gang warfare, prostitution etc for a considerable period of time. The area has become a violent turf over the years due to the spread of drugs and other vices like illicit liquor.

The incident happened last Saturday afternoon when things looked a bit quiet on Galle road with the volume of traffic less than on weekdays. Few shoppers were seen milling around textile shops to purchase their needs before the shops closed on Saturday afternoon.

Business was as usual at the Basil phone shop situated on the Galle road, Dehiwela. Customers called every now and then at the shop to inquire and sometimes to purchase mobile cellular phones.

A woman customer who visited the Basil Phone shop on that day was busy making inquiries from a salesman about cellular phones on display on the shelves. It was around 11.30 am. when a man armed with a knife suddenly barged into the shop.

The man was a seasoned robber who took control of the situation the moment he entered the shop. He was a cold calculating person who did not show signs of nervousness. He knew what he wanted.

He threatened to kill the shopkeeper and demanded cash, the cellular mobile phones and the gold necklace, the woman customer was wearing. Fearing bodily harm to himself and the staff, the shopkeeper gave into the demands of the robber.

He then removed several cellular mobile phones, and gave away cash of Rs. 20,000 along with the gold necklace of the woman customer. He put them into a bag and handed it over to the robber.

According to Dehiwela police, the total amount of goods, cash and the gold chain robbed was valued at Rs 4,26,000.00. Soon the news spread in the vicinity about the robbery. In the meantime the robber trying to make an exit from the shop was confronted by a man who challenged him.

He was the landlord who owned the shop. He grappled with the robber and in the process got stabbed on his hand. The robber then grabbed the bag containing the loot and ran towards a motor cycle parked a few yards away from the shop. He then climbed on to the pillion of the motor cycle and escaped.

When the Dehiwela police was informed of the robbery, they promptly alerted all police stations in the Western province to be on the lookout for two men who had robbed a shop and was escaping on a motor cycle.

When the message was flashed to Piliyandala police, OIC, Chief Inspector W.K. Lionel instructed his men to set up a road block on a by road at Delthera -Piliyandala.

With several years of experience in crime investigations, Chief Inspector Lionel knew the robbers would take a devious route to avoid policemen on duty on the main roads.

Sub Inspector Thushara with Sub Inspector Kumara and several other armed policemen set up a road block at Delthera. They kept a close watch on several motor cycles that passed the road block. Then around 2.30. p.m. the policemen had noticed a motor cycle with a pillion ridder approaching the road block.

When the motor cycle came near the checkpoint a policeman signalled with his hand to stop the motor bike. But instead of stopping, the rider increased its speed of the motor cycle and sped away.

While doing so the pillion rider turned back and fired a shot from a pistol at Sub-Inspector Thushara who was standing near the checkpoint. Fortunately the shot did not strike him saving his life. Reacting swiftly, Sub Inspector Kumra pulled out his pistol and fired several shots at the pillion rider. However both the motor cyclist and the pillion rider managed to escape the ordeal.

Towards evening on that day OIC Piliyandala Police Station, Chief Inspector Lionel was notified that some robbers had discarded a motor cycle bearing No WTJ-5835 with two blood soaked shirts and two Denim trousers at Digana village at Panadura North.

Police now suspect that the motor cycle was a stolen one. But the whereabouts of the two bandits are still not known, at the time of writing this report. In the meantime police have alerted several hospitals in the Western province to be on the lookout for the two robbers.

Meanwhile SSP Mount Lavinia Division, Edison Gunatilleka, had instructed the deployment of two police teams to track down the robbers. OIC Piliyandala Police Station, Chief Inspector W.D. Lionel told the Sunday Observer that they were optimistic of apprehending the two suspects evading arrest. "We have come to know that the suspects had robbed several jewellery shops in the Moratuwa, Dehiwela, Piliyandala areas. " he said.

Meanwhile in a separate incident at Ratmalana last Monday a cashier of a popular hotel at Mount Lavinia was robbed of foreign currency to the value of Rs 1,55,000 by a gunman armed with a pistol opposite a state bank. The incident occurred when the cashier was trying to alight from the vehicle.

A man armed with a pistol approached him and having kept it against his head had demanded the cash. After robbing the cash, the suspect had fled on a pillion of a motor cycle towards Angulana. HQI Mount Lavina Police station, Mahesh Perera said a police team had been detailed to apprehend the robbers.

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