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| Sunday, 26 March 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Wealthy men now potential targets Crime Sunday by Jayampathy Jayasinghe During the past few months several robberies were reported from plush residences at Cinnamon Gardens and Kollupitiya. The modus oprandi of the robbers were to threaten its inmates with death and then get away with cash, jewellery and even their luxury vehicles, just as in western movies.
They have been operating with impunity during the past few months as they could not be traced. Local police stations were clueless, as none had criminal records. They had not been convicted by any court of law and there wern't any records of persons. Judging from the recent attacks on wealthy businessmen and professionals at their very homes, it is crystal clear that criminals have switched gears. They have selected wealthy men to be their potential targets. They also know wealthy men are rather an easy prey at their homes than breaking into a bank. According to news reports, several businessmen and professionals living at Kollupitiya and in the Cinnamon Gardens have been robbed recently. "Robbers these days know where to hunt for the pot of gold," a senior police officer said. The murder of a retired accountant, a fortnight ago, at his residence at Veluwanarama Road, Moratuwa is a case in point. Two young men stabbed him to death and robbed his motor car and other valuables. The two suspects were later arrested from their homes at Pittakotte and Mirihana by a team of police officers detailed by DIG Western Province (South) S. Pathirana. The most appalling thing is that they were not seasoned criminals. Both men were employed at a well-known radio station in Colombo. One suspect was a Radio Programmer while the other was a technical hand. The suspects were in their early twenties, police said. A similar incident happened on February 20, when six men armed with a pistol and knives broke into the home of a wealthy doctor on 28th lane, Kollupitiya. The time was past midnight when they stealthily crept into the home through a window. After confronting the doctor and his family, the gang demanded their cash, jewellery and other valuable items. When the family did not respond to their demand, a robber pointed a pistol at a family member and threatened to kill him. The family was then confined to a room and not allowed to move freely. Shaken by the ordeal and fearing imminent death to his family, the doctor opened the almirah and handed over the valuables to the robbers. Cash Rs 4.5 million, two cellular phones, gold chains, bangles, wrist watches and the ignition keys of his luxury Prado vehicle was taken away by the robbers. It was a swift operation before any one could sound an alarm or call the police on the hot line 119 or 118. Police said the six member gang were on a dangerous mission to rob households. They had to be arrested before they could strike any other household. The doctor lodged a complaint of robbery at the Kollupitiya Police Station on the following morning. But the police weren't able to apprehend the gang on the run. It was because the gang had not been identified. Several days passed without any tangible results. It was at this stage that IGP Chandra Fernando instructed DIG Range 1V, S. Ilangasinghe and DIG Colombo, Pujitha Jayasundera to hand over the inquiry to Director Colombo Crime Division (CCD) SSP Sarath Lugoda. Under CCD Chief Lugoda's supervision around 40 persons were grilled with regard to the robbery. With the help of modern technology CCD sleuths were able to crack open the case. The sleuths learnt that the robbers were from a shanty tenement at D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10 and the rest of them were from the Grandpass area. Soon they were on the trail of the gang. Four out of six robbers were finally arrested. However two robbers escaped the police drag net and managed to flee from their hideouts. Sleuths finally recovered Rs 1.7 million of the looted money. Police said that the robbers had busted the money by purchasing furniture, jewellery and cellular phones. Meanwhile the Kollupitiya police found the robbed Prado vehicle abandoned in the Colombo area. SSP, Lugoda commenting on the robbery said fortunately the robbers had used the Prado vehicle as a getaway vehicle. "What if they had sold the vehicle to someone in uncleared areas. We would never have recovered it. Fortunately the robbers did not come in contact with professional car thieves who smuggle vehicles to uncleared areas. " SSP Lugoda said. However the robbers whilst being questioned admitted of robbing a wealthy businessman in the Cinnamon Garden area. Not only did they rob his cash amounting to Rs 500,000 and jewellery, but raped his domestic servant, a middle aged woman. Somewhere in October last year the same gang raided a house of a wealthy businessman at Kolonnawa and robbed Rs 6 million and his Prado vehicle. The vehicle was later found abandoned in the Kolonnawa area. On September 12 last year they broke into a house at Mount Lavinia and got away with cash Rs 1.5 million. A special team has been despatched to arrest the other two men. With the arrest of four men the police are optimistic of rounding up the other two men. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
According to police, a new breed of young criminals have emerged in the
past years. These pernicious criminals, mostly men in their early twenties
with no criminal record whatsoever, have taken to crime in a big way in the
city of Colombo and its suburbs. 
