Police foil daring robbery

Main suspect killed, manhunt on for others:

Through an elaborate network of informants the Colombo North police intelligence unit headed by SP Palitha Siriwardena got wind of a robbery that a group of underworld men were planing at Maharagama. The underworld men knew the pawn brokerage shop at Maharagama had a stockpile of gold jewellery worth more than Rs 50 million.

The three member gang happened to be the lieutenants of the notorious bandit named Wannaku Watte Waduge Nuwan Harshana Fernando alias Sanbaba who was known among the villagers of Wadduwa. He terrorised residents of Wadduwa and Panadura for a considerable period of time and was involved in several murders, robbery and rape. Sanbaba was involved in the killing of a police Sergeant attached to the Waskaduwa police station. He was finally shot dead by the police when he attempted to lob a grenade at a policeman at Weragama Wadduwa. He was led to a jungle by the police to recover a T 56 weapon used in the killing of a police sergeant last year.

Regrouped

After Sanbaba was killed the gang members re-grouped and continued to rob business establishments that brought them easy money. After all they were accustomed to lead an ostentatious and a luxurious life with ill-gotten money. They had a sinister plan to rob a pawn brokerage shop at Maharagama that had a flourishing business. The pawn brokerage shop was located on the High Level Road opposite a private bank. The gang worked out a meticulous plan to rob the pawn shop. Their modus operandi was to familiarise themselves with employees of the pawn shop. Thereafter they called over at the pawn shop frequently to pawn gold jewellery. They pawned gold rings and redeemed them often to show that they were genuine customers. The pawn shop employees also had no reason to suspect them and believed they were genuine customers.

Meanwhile police had credible information that the underworld men were planning to rob the pawn shop on 24th December. On the instructions of the Colombo North DIG Daya Samaraweera several armed policemen in civvies from the Colombo North police station were despatched to Maharagama and deployed near the pawn shop on 24th December to keep an eye on the robbers and to apprehend them. They took up positions near the pawn shop early in the morning before the shop opened for business.

They stayed there until dusk but there weren’t any trace of the robbers. Police subsequently called off the assignment when they came to know the car in which the robbers travelled had met with an accident at Moratuwa. The gang was on their way to Maharagama when the mishap occurred. It was a kind of a bad omen for them, commented a police officer.

Business

However on 26th December , the shops in Maharagama town opened for business as usual. On the instructions of DIG Colombo North, Daya Samaraweera a team of policemen in civvies from the Colombo North took up positions near the pawn shop for the second occasion. Police had credible information that the gang was planning to rob the shop that morning. While policemen waited impatiently for the robbers, they noticed a man entering the pawn shop soon after the shop opened for business.

“He was in a state of excitement.” police said. Police apparently learned the man had come there to redeem a gold ring which he pawned a few weeks back. He told the employee that he was in a hurry and wanted him to open the safe and hand over his gold ring.

Minutes ticked by and when the safe was opened the man dug into his trouser pocket and pulled out a pistol. He then aimed the pistol at the employee and demanded the gold jewellery in the safe. The pawn shop employee froze and was speechless when the robber aimed the pistol at him.

A few minutes later a police inspector in civvies walked into the shop followed by a sub inspector to see what was happening. They heard the commotion inside the shop.

The suspect also noticed the inspector speaking to someone with his mobile phone. Sensing danger the suspect pushed aside the inspector who then slumped to the ground.

He then aimed the revolver at the Sub Inspector and was about to fire when the Sub Inspector fired two shots from his revolver. The shots fatally wounded the suspect who fell inside the shop.

The man was identified by the police as Premaratne, the leader of the gang.

Following the shooting incident police arrested another suspect outside the pawn shop while the third suspect escaped in a car.

Meanwhile police recovered the motor cycle, a foreign made pistol along with a locally manufactured pistol, a knife brought by the men.

Following interrogation, police learnt the suspect in custody was involved in a string of robberies of pawn brokering shops and business establishments at Wellawatte and in the Dehiwela areas along with Premaratne, the deceased suspect.

Although both men have been enlarged on bail by courts the two men failed to attend courts thereafter. “There were several warrants for their arrests,” police said.

A senior police officer told the Sunday Observer following the attempted robbery a manhunt has been launched for the arrest of the third suspect who escaped in a car.

“We have detailed several teams for the arrest.”

Police are also investigating whether the car in which the two robbers travelled was a stolen one.