Ruthless rape and robbery

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

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Both Lakshitha and Chaminda struck a friendship while languishing behind bars in the remand prison. Lakshitha had been in remand prison on a charge of possessing bombs and was released five months ago. Chaminda too was in the remand prison for allegedly committing a murder and was released subsequently. Both men were in their late twenties and were notorious criminals in Marawila. They were wanted by several police stations for committing serious crimes like murder, robbery, etc in Marawila and Koswatte areas. Although the two men had not met before they soon chummed up in the prison and cemented their friendship after learning they were from adjoining areas.

Last year Police launched a cordon and search operation and arrested Lakshitha in connection with several robberies in the area. He was in remand prison for a considerable period of time before being released. Chaminda too was a seasoned criminal who spent time behind bars. After all the remand prison wasn’t a strange place for both men. They considered it as their second home, where they met other hard core criminals. The hardcore criminals usually discuss their plans to commit bigger crimes after they set off scot free from prison.

According to Marawila Police, Lakshitha and Chaminda were released on bail a few months ago. Soon after their release they met at the Marawila beach with another criminal Sanjeewa on November 23. It was a gloomy day with overcast skies following torrential rain. The time was around 10.00 pm. Lakshitha unfolded his master plan of robbing a tourist hotel in the area. The beach was an ideal spot to discuss their crime under the cover of darkness. Nobody would recognise them in the pitch darkness. The three men were criminals from the Marawila and Koswatte areas. They were flat broke after being incarcerated for several months and needed quick bucks to enjoy good things in life. They were accustomed to leading a flashy life style like any other urban criminal. The men had not committed a big robbery since their release from prison. While consuming arrack they discussed their plan to rob a tourist hotel located close by. Lakshitha, who made his living as a tourist guide in the area was a drug addict. He knew that the Germans who ran the hotel were wealthy. He also knew the guards deployed at the hotel would offer little resistance when entering the hotel. By the time they finished the bottle of arrack it was around 12.25 a.m. The men walked along the beach and arrived at the hotel’s main entrance.

Posing off as policemen they forced opened the main door and entered the hotel. They tapped at the room door where the 80 year old German lady was occupying. When she opened the door the three men stormed into her room. with knifes in their hands. The men said they were policemen and wanted to search her room. But the lady strongly objected her room being searched. At this stage two men held her and raped her while the third man ransacked her almirah and cupboards. The robbers then removed her priceless gold jewellery. The estimated value of the gold jewellery was around Rs. 30 lakhs according to the Marawila police. The men threatened to kill her if she screamed for help and melted into the darkness. The German lady was too feeble to resist the onslaught of the rapists. She was too feeble to press the alarm bell for help due to her advanced age.

The men removed her linen and gold jewellery with them. Just before dawn they gathered on the beach again to share the spoils. The men squabbled while sharing the loot. But Lakshitha who masterminded the plot made sure that he got the lion’s share. The men disappeared again after what they got. Chief Inspector Keerthi Bandara, HQI Marawila Police Station, on hearing about the ugly incident rushed to the hotel with a team of policemen to investigate the crime.

On a tip off, he visited Lakshitha ‘s home situated close by and questioned him about the incident. He pleaded innocence of his involvement at the outset. But later confessed to the crime. Police recovered a gold chain weighing 500 milligrams, two gold pendants weighing 980 milligrams and 280 milligrams. A holy gold cross weighing 500 milligrams, a gold pendant weighing 470 milligrams in the possession of the suspect.

Meanwhile a Police team consisting of Chief Inspector Keerthi Bandara, Police Sergeant 54304 Aruna Shantha, Police Sergeant 19349 Deepthi, Police Constable 7178 Samarakoon, Police Constable 41469 Jayatissa, Police Constable 30645 Wanninayake questioned Lakshitha and elicited more information regarding the other suspects involved in the rape and robbery case. When police visited their homes, the suspects had simply fled from their homes with out telling their inmates. Nobody had any idea of their whereabouts. This however confirmed the suspicion of the police. Marawila police flashed several messages to police stations in the country to apprehend the two suspects on the run. Ten days ago policemen manning the check point at Peliyagoda made the dramatic arrest while checking passengers at a bus that arrived from Polonnaruwa. Sanjeewa and Sarathchandra who took part in the robbery and rape were finally arrested. Both the suspects were from Koswatte area. Following their arrest police recovered stolen gold earrings. Police Media Spokesman SSP, Ranjith Gunesekera told the ‘Sunday Observer’ good detective work resulted in the arrest of the suspects. The stolen Jewellery too was recovered. The suspects were produced last week before court and remanded pending an identification parade.