Police thwart treasure hunters’plans to vandalise religious sites

National treasures of archaeological value are being plundered by treasure hunters with impunity, according to media reports. Treasure hunters have a passion for gold statues at places of worship. They believe that statues contain gold and precious gems. However, most of them end up in police custody.

It is not surprising that treasure hunters are active outside archaeological sites. Temples and kovils have been vandalised in search of treasure.

However, nobody knows why people developed a sudden passion for treasure hunting. In the past people hardly heard of treasure hunters roaming the country. It is obvious that treasure hunters seem to have done an in-depth study on locations where treasures have been buried in the past.

Raids

According to Police Media Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana the police conducted 498 raids on treasure hunters and 220 persons were arrested in 2011.

The total revenue earned by way of fines amounted to Rs. 261,370,010. In 2010, police arrested 260 suspects after conducting 294 raids. The total revenue earned from fines amounted to Rs. 12,942,000. In 2012 from January to May the police conducted 364 raids and arrested 110 treasure hunters. The revenue by way of fines amounted to Rs. 95,000,000.

The Tissamaharama police on a tip-off recovered a precious Buddha statue stolen from the Museum at Deberawewa-Yatala Tissamaharama almost six months ago.

The statue after being produced before the Tissamaharama Magistrate courts was returned to the museum. On March 12 treasure hunters vandalised the historic Siva temple at Polonnaruwa in search of treasures. They dug a three-foot hole where the Siva Lingam was buried, police said.

The Siva temple had been built. It is located in a forest reserve of the Archaeological Department.

The watchers discovered the vandalised temple on the following day and reported it to the Polonnaruwa police station.

The same Sivan temple was vandalised by treasure hunters almost two years ago according to the Archaeological Department officials.

Treasure hunt

The most daring treasure hunt was reported a few day ago from Uluklulam - Veerapuram in the Vavuniya district. Five wealthy businessmen and two others engaged in a treasure hunt at an abandoned temple were arrested by the police. In the raid the police took three luxury vehicles and a Backhoe machine into custody.

The businessmen and their men had detonated explosives at the site. On a tip-off, OIC Settikulam Inspector Sanjeewa rushed to Weherabeddawa with a police party at 1 a.m. on May 12 and lay in ambush.

An hour later three luxury vehicles and a Backhoe machine arrived with five people. Prior to the excavation, a ritual had been conducted to invoke the blessings of the Bahirawa God. The suspects had then used explosives to blow up the ground.

At this stage the policemen pounced on them and arrested the seven suspects. The suspects had come from Colombo, Galle, Matara, Vavuniya and Uilankulam.

Three men from Matara were charmers who performed the pooja. The police also recovered three double cab luxury vehicles, a Backhoe vehicle, explosives, detonator caps, and items such as cloth and lamps prior to the commencement of the operation.

The businessmen had surreptitiously engaged in a treasure hunt although they had a permit to work in a quarry near-by.

The suspects were later produced before the Vavuniya Magistrate who remanded them until investigations are completed. Further investigations are being conducted under the direction of Senior DIG, Northern Province Gamini Silva.

The incident at Siyambalapitiya in Villachiya sparked off a protest by villagers on May 2, when Police STF personnel were despatched there to recover some stolen treasure.

IGP N.K. Illangakone said that a backhoe driver who unearthed valuable treasure had buried it elsewhere in the vicinity and the STF Commander was instructed to recover it.

The IGP said the STF had gone to recover the property as treasure thieves were planning to buy it. However, things went awry when the STF fired into the sky to scare the villagers who surrounded them.

Residents of Siyambalapitiya said they became suspicious when they noticed the movement of STF personnel in the village the previous day. However, the matter was resolved by DIG North Central Province, Kithsiri Dayananda's intervention.

Relics

Another incident was reported from Kadugannawa last week where treasure hunters stole hair relics from a Buddha statue at Sri Visuddharama. The chief incumbent of the temple had lodged a complaint at the Kadugannawa police station in this regard. The Uva-Paranagama police arrested seven suspects at the Galagodella forest reserve at Bowela Uva-Paranagama. The suspects who were searching for treasure were residents of Aralaganwila, Dolosbage, Welimade and Hali-Ela.

The police also found red and white clothes, gun powder and offering to gods in their possession. According to police, the Galagodella forest reserve belongs to a Rajamaha Vihara in the Uva province.

On a tip-off from a civil committee member, Tirappone police arrested three suspects engaged in treasure hunting at the Wellamudawa-Nachchaduwa forest reserve a fortnight ago and recovered 250 grams of gun powder and a motorcycle in their possession.

The police learnt that treasure hunters were masquerading as farmers in the area for some time. The two suspects were from Galnewa while the other was from Tirappone.

OIC Tirappone police is conducting further investigations. Last week the Galewela police on a tip-off arrested eight suspects engaged in a treasure hunt at Galewela Averiyapathana Raja Maha Vihara.

The treasure hunters had dug a three-foot deep hole adjacent to the temple built during King Walagamba's reign.

The suspects were from Seeduwa, Elpitiya, Ambalangoda and Arachchikattuwa.