Snatch thieves arrested

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

Two three wheeler taxi drivers and the Kapuwa of a devale involved in snatching gold chains and gold pendants from residents in Wadduwa, Panadura, Keselwatte, Moratuwa, Mirihana and other areas were arrested by the Wadduwa police and the loot recovered.

The three suspects have been detained on a detention order of the court, to be questioned further. The suspects carried out the robberies while riding motor cycles the Police Media Spokesman , SSP Prishantha Jayakody told the Sunday Observer.

The stolen items comprised 91 gold chains and 10 gold pendants which the suspects had pawned at many state and private banks and at pawn brokering institutions in the Panadura, Kalutara, Eheliyagoda, Wellawatte and Ratnapura, areas. Police also traced the three motorcycles used in the robbery, the media spokesman said. The matter came to light when the Wadduwa police received a tip-off that two persons armed with a hand grenade were roaming the streets of Wadduwa.

When police arrested the two suspects and questioned them they

confessed they were three wheeler taxi drivers who had robbed gold chains from 2011 to 2012. They also said the third man involved in the robbery was a kapurala of a devale. Most of the gold chains and the pendants have

been identified by the owners and only a few items are yet to be identified, police said. Further investigation on the robbery is being conducted by the OIC Wadduwa, Chief Inspector Lalith Weerasinghe.