Daring twilight robbery in the Pettah

It was around 5.30 pm when most shop keepers were getting ready to close the business premises after a hard days work when five persons including a Police Constable and an Army Sergeant and four others clad in civilian clothes barged into a shop at Second Cross Street and robbed cash amounting to Rs. 70 lakhs under the pretext of checking their business activities.

The private company at Second Cross Street, Pettah had prospered over the years by exporting oysters to the Far East, Middle East and to a few European countries. Apart from their core business of exporting oysters the company also dabbled in the currency market which raked in enormous amounts of money to their kitty. Meanwhile, underworld members in Colombo got wind of their business and kept a close tab on the company and the movements of its employees. According to police their idea was to stage a big time robbery involving police and army personnel. The underworld men who had links with corrupt police and army personnel tipped off the big business at the Second Cross Street in Pettah in Colombo.

It was a daring robbery that took place on May 27 this year around 5 p.m in the evening at Second Cross Street Pettah. The robbery however was reported to the Pettah Police Crime branch around 9 p.m after the manager was abducted along with Rs. 70 lakhs. The policemen were baffled when they heard about the robbery. Five men altogether, some clad in police and army uniforms stormed into the export company. Who could they be wondered the policemen at the Pettah Crime Branch. How could it happen when stringent security measures were in place in Pettah, being the financial hub of Colombo.

The five men walked right up to the manager and took him by surprise. The men told the manager they were investigating the company’s financial dealings and forcibly opened his drawer. Thereafter they began emptying the drawer stocked with bundles of currency notes which they put into a sack. Three robbers dragged the manager outside his shop, bundled him into a three wheeler taxi and rode off in the direction of Ja-Ela along with the loot, a senior police officer told the Sunday Observer.

According to police it was a well executed and a daring robbery where robbers got away with Rs. 7 million cash within a matter of 20-25 minutes. While on their way to Ja-Ela, a robber alighted from the three-wheeler at Armour Street, Colombo with the bag containing the loot and disappeared into the crowd. It was twilight when the robbers arrived at Ja-Ela making it difficult for anyone to notice what went on under the cover of darkness.

The robbers then warned the manager severely, not to divulge anything to the police and jettisoned him at a lonely spot and proceeded towards Seeduwa. The thoroughly bruised victim later picked himself up and found his way back to the Second Cross Street shop where frightened employees kept vigil at their work place. The victim then narrated the ordeal to the startled employees. “Fortunately they did not harm me while they emptied the cash from the drawer,” he to told his startled employees. The manager later called over at the Pettah Crime branch and lodged a complaint regarding the robbery and the abduction.

Following the daring robbery, the acting IGP N.K. Illangakoon instructed DIG Colombo Anura Senananyake to investigate and apprehend the robbers forthwith. Thereafter Director of the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) Superintendent of Police, D.R.L. Ranaweera commenced investigations by detailing two police teams to nab the robbers. The Colombo Crime Division (CCD) sleuths then got down to business by recording a detailed statement of the manager who gave a vivid description of the robber who was clad in a police uniform.

Technical branch policemen were then summoned to the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) where they sketched the picture of the robber policeman. For almost a month the detectives began gathering secret information of the heist by tracing down the mobile phone numbers etc. Finally they were able to trace the rogue policeman at the Seeduwa police station. The description of the sketch matched perfectly to the rogue policeman. When it was crystal clear that a policeman was involved in the heist, detectives proceeded to Seeduwa police station and took into custody the policeman for interrogation.

The rogue police constable had served the department for twenty years. He was grilled for several hours at the Colombo Crime Division headquarters regarding the heist. Finally he broke down and confessed that several army officers were also involved in the robbery. Following the revelation detectives arrested a Staff Sergeant attached to an Army unit in Colombo. He too was grilled for several hours when he confessed that another Army Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) and a Corporal and a Home Guard were involved in the heist. When a police team went to arrest them they found that the men had not reported for duty and were absconding. Subsequently police came to know that the men were on the run. Meanwhile two Police teams have been detailed to apprehend three civilians including Home Guard.

Police have recovered around Rs. 12 million of the loot which was in the possession of the police and Army Sergeant. The three-wheeler taxi used for the robbery was traced and driver arrested. Police suspect that more service personnel are linked to the robbery.