The case of the missing gems

Daring robbery in Kamburupitiya:

Dissala Jayawardena was a prosperous and a wealthy gem businessman from the Kamburupitiya area. He amassed a fortune over the years by dealing in precious gems and engaging in other businesses as well.

He was a reputed gem merchant from the area and many visitors called at his residence at Kamburupitiya every Friday to sell precious gems found from gem pits in the country. Most people who called on him were from the Sabaragamuwa province.

Many in the Southern province knew that he was fabulously rich. So much so that even the underworld men kept a close tab on him. They were envious of his enormous wealth.

It all began several weeks ago when underworld men met at Kamburupitiya. The topic they discussed that day was about robbing Dissala Jayawardena by storming into his home. But the gang had a sense of fear that something might go wrong in their strategy.

The hard core men knew there was a slip between the cup and the lip. Past experience had taught them this. The southern gang also lacked the expertise for the job.

So they decided to solicit assistance from hard core criminals from the Western province who were more suited for the job. They had met them before, while serving sentences in Prison. It was common knowledge that criminals form alliances whilst serving sentences in prison.

There were notorious men like Kumara from Mugalangamuwa Seeduwa and Perera from Kaneruwa road Seeduwa and Kusumsiri from St. Joseph's Street Grandpas 14, who had the expertise and the knowledge to undertake such daring missions. They were to be joined by another notorious criminal named Pahalage Nimal and two other men from the South.

The six men met regularly at a secret hide out in the outskirts of Kamburupitiya and mapped out a plan to rob the gem merchant. Their outrageous plan was to visit Jayamahal, the residence of Dissala Jayawrdena on a Friday morning posing off as customers and rob his precious collection of gems after threatening to shoot him.

The ring leader explained to others that the plan had to be executed with meticulous precision before anyone raised an alarm. The gang again met on 29th October at the Kamburupitiya town.

This time they came in a Toyota car bearing a false number plate number 300 - 4660 and in a three wheeler. The Toyota car belonged to a Rent - a Car service in Negombo.

The men were armed to the teeth with hand guns, pistols, grenades, knives and a sword. Their mission was to storm the residence of Dissala Jayawardena and rob his gems.

The six member gang arrived at the house of Dissala Jayawardena in the Toyota car and a three wheeler taxi. The men posed as people who came from Sabaragamuwa to sell gem stones. The watcher believing them to be genuine customers allowed them access to the residence. The men having parked their vehicles in the garden, entered the home.

They carried with them grenades, a shot gun and a toy pistol and forcibly entered the drawing room of Jayawardena.

The gem merchant was bemused to see six men armed with guns and a pistol lurking around in his spacious drawing room.

Two men aimed the gun and a pistol at him and demanded the precious gems that he had in his possession. Fearing for his life and his employees the gem merchant allowed the robbers to carry away 66 sacks containing Gomeda Gems worth over Rs. 100 million. The sacks were piled up in his drawing room.

The robbers then gagged Jayawardena and his employees and tied them with ropes. Thereafter they loaded the sacks containing gems in to a Canter lorry owned by Jayawardena and sped in the direction of Kaburupitiya.

The two main robbers travelled in the Toyota car while the others with the haul of gems travelled in the Canter lorry bearing No HSP. ALH 0554. A few minutes later Senior Supdt. of Police (SSP) Tangalle Division Upali Hewage received a telephone call that Dissala Jayawardena, the prominent gem merchant at Kamburupitya was robbed.

Reacting to the urgency of the message with little time left, SSP Hewage ordered OIC of the Belliatte police station Chief Inspector Basil Crishantha to send a police team to intercept both vehicles and arrest the suspects before they escaped.

Chief Inspector Basil Crishantha immediately despatched a team of police officers led by the Sub - Inspector of the Special Investigation Unit Thushara, Police Sergent (PS) 44918 Gunatunga, PS 20186 Prematilleke, PS 26043 Kulasena, PS 33636 Sunil and Police Constables (PC) 52722 Nishanka, PC 6341 Dharmasiri, PC 52697 Edirisinghe, PC 28550 Piyasiri, PC 35618 Crishantha, PC 36667 Priyantha, PC 52673 Guruge and PC 10709 Siripla to Kamburupitiya. On orders of SSP Hewege, police erected checkpoints along roads leading from Kamburupitya, to Tangalle and Matara to prevent the escape of the fleeing robbers.

Police finally picked up the trail of the fleeing Toyota and Canter lorry barrelling down the Kamburupitiya main road heading towards the town. The robbers travelling in the Toyota car noticing the police vehicle shot at them. Reacting instantaneously to the gun fire police shot back at the persons travelling in the Toyota car.

The driver of the Toyota car lost control and the car hit three, three wheeler taxis. L. Sujeewa, a driver of a three wheeler taxi who sustained injury was admitted to the Matara hospital. After the Toyota car came to a grinding halt, two other suspects travelling in the Canter lorry escaped.

Within a few minuets the drama came to a halt. Police found two suspects in the Toyota car with injuries. They were dispatched to the Matara hospital. They found more than Rs. 1 lakh in the car, with a shot gun. They arrested two more suspects in the Canter lorry and took charge of 66 sacks containing gems and cash of Rs. 13,37, 512. along with a computer and a DVD player. They also found two cartridges, one hand grenade, a plastic pistol a knife and a sword.

DIG Southern Range Jayantha Gamage has directed SSP Tangalle Division Upali Hewege to investigate the daring robbery.

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