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Daring robberies in the Central Province:

Central Province is by and large a relatively peaceful place compared to the Western province where serious crims are committed with alarming frequency. Murder, pillage, robbery, extortion and rape are rampant in the Western province and according to sociologists demography is a key factor for escalation of violence.

Coincidentally the Central province was rocked with several bank robberies at the beginning of the year and continued till November until the suspects were apprehended. The most daring bank robberies took place in the heart of Kandy town where plush private banks are located.

Customers who called and did business with these banks were robbed just as they stepped out side. The robbers who wore helmets to mask their faces snatched away bags that contained large sums of money. They committed these robberies with lurid relish in a professional manner..

Residents in the Central province often abused the police for their inability to solve these daring robberies. So much so that the public were aghast and apprehensive of visiting banks for fear of being robbed.

A daring robbery was reported in the Central province every month or so and police looked helpless. Robberies however continued until November 15. It was on this day that two armed men robbed a woman carrying 15 lakhs as she stepped outside a private bank in the heart of Kandy town. The incident created panic in the Kandy town where people began to gossip in fearful whispers of the robbery.

As things were getting out of control DIG Central Range Kingsly Ekanayake summoned senior police officers of the Central Province for a briefing and told them of the deteriorating situation in the province. He wanted speedy action to be taken to apprehend the suspects who have been evading arrest for so long.

Thereafter under the supervision of SSP Central Province, Jagath Abeysiri Gunawardena and SP, Gamini Seneviratne of the Kandy police the matter was entrusted to Chief Inspector D.M. Farook of the Special Investigation Unit of the Kandy police for further investigations.

Chief Inspector Farook and his team of police officers lost no time in visiting the private bank where the robbery took place and carefully studied the images recorded in the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) system of the bank.

Their attention was drawn to a smart young man with piercing eyes standing besides a counter. His gaze fell on a woman standing beside the next counter who had withdrawn Rs. 15 lakhs. Police found the image of the same man was recorded in CCTV system of other banks as well. There again he was seen observing customers withdrawing money.

By this time the police had a clear picture of the man whom they were looking for. Meanwhile the woman packed the crisp bundle of notes into a bag and walked out of the bank. She stepped out of the bank and was walking in the direction of another bank, when two armed men confronted her. They threatened to shoot her and demanded the money.

The men then grappled with her and managed to snatch away the bag containing cash of Rs. 15 lakhs and her Cellular mobile phone which was inside the bag.

Thereafter the armed men threatened to shoot the onlookers who gathered at the spot to witness the incident. Finally they escaped in a motor cycle with the loot. The victim woman was a retired person who had disposed her property in Badulla and had deposited the proceeds in a private bank in Kandy.

She had withdrawn the money on that day to be deposited in another bank close by. The robbery took place on November 15 around 12.30. and 1.30.pm.

Three days prior to the incident two armed men who broke into a Telecommunication shop in Kandy threatened to shoot the shop keeper and robbed Rs. 5 lakhs. Meanwhile the police team on the trail of the two robbers were able to monitor their movements from their mobile phone conversation. The breakthrough came to Chief Inspector Farook when the robbers were planning to meet at a spot at Kadugannawa to stage another robbery.

Police rushed to the spot in the wee hours of the morning and took position near a factory. Soon they noticed a white car approaching the spot. When the car came to a halt police rushed in and took the man in for questioning. While being questioned he admitted of meeting a friend at Katugastota on the same morning. Police rushed in to Katugastota and waited in ambush for the arrival of the other man.

A few minutes later they noticed a white car approaching the spot. Once gain they rushed in and arrested the second man.

After interrogating both the suspects police learnt that one man was Sunbaba the most dreaded criminal wanted by the police in connection with nine murders and several robberies. He was absconding the police for several years after escaping from custody at the Panadura Magistrate courts a few years ago.

Sunbabas real name was Wannaku Watte Waduge Nuwan Harshna Fernando. Born in 30th January 1981, he was enlisted as a soldier in the army in 1998 and was trained at the Konduwatuwana army camp.

Thereafter he was attached to the Gajaba army camp. Later he deserted the army and took to crime in a big way. He was wanted for killing a police Sergeant in Weragama in Wadduwa area a few years back.

Meanwhile the police learnt that the other suspect was Weerasinghe Dinesh Sudantha Silva a naval deserter. Born on 17th November 1980 he was enlisted on 4th December 2000. He too deserted the navy and took to crime.

He was in possession of a Browning pistol with 12 round of 9mm ammunition. In the course of the investigations police learnt that Sunbaba, as he was commonly known had hidden the T-56 weapon that killed the police sergeant in a shrub jungle near his home.

Police took the suspect to Weragama, Wadduuwa to recover the weapon. While searching the shrub jungle Sanbaba found a hand grenade which he hurled at the police. Police in return shot him and was taken to the Panadura hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

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