It is no secret that many police officers in our country have amassed fortunes by illegally assisting and protecting underworld robbers and drug dealers. Those who demand that politicians’ assets be searched are not interested in investigating these types of unruly officers. These cops are wealthier than politicians. Some of these cops have foreign bank accounts. If one digs into the stories of some high-ranking police officers who drive the world’s most expensive vehicles and used to live in small houses but now have the luxury of palace-like residences, it becomes clear that it is only politics that has become corrupt.
If a barber’s son in a remote village who joins the police suddenly becomes a millionaire, a planter who owns 50 acres of land, and a tourist hotel owner, it definitely should be investigated. Today, the police have become a corrupt institution because of such officers. Because of these people, even an honest police officer has no place in the police force today. Such a police chief, who was doing all the hard work to protect his stars while receiving political protection, was randomly caught by the police special task force on the 8th. This happened during a treasure-hunting racket, and the police chief was caught with a stash of marijuana. This police chief, who has been working as a loyal servant of treasure smugglers, is none other than the police chief who was in charge of Moneragala Division at that time.
His name is Sunil Shantha Sisila Kumara Herath, a Senior Superintendent of Police. Sisila Kumara, who joined the police service as a deputy sub-inspector from Kebathigollewa, was a big shot in the police force until this incident. Even after he was caught by the police special task force with a load of marijuana, even the police senior officers exerted enormous influence to release him, citing the extent of his power. The Inspector General of Police, C. D. Wickramaratne, and the Executive DIG of the Police Special Task Force, attorney at-law Waruna Jayasundara, didn’t pay heed to the political influences at any post. Otherwise, this story would have turned out in a completely different way.
The process of arresting Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara was very spontaneous and unexpected. The operation is launched entirely to trap a group of treasure smugglers. Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara and the officers involved in the raid by the Special Task Force did not even dream of getting caught with those smugglers. His arrest is entirely an isolated incident.Along with fighting drugs and underworld crimes, the Police Special Task Force has also been engaged in an operation to trap treasure smugglers throughout the past period. Accordingly, Special Task Force Commander DIG Attorney Waruna Jayasundara received information about a large-scale treasure mining operation taking place near Moneragala and Digamadulla.
Treasure smugglers
Even Waruna Jayasundara might not have thought that it would be a senior superintendent of police, even though the information said that there was support from corrupt police officials. After receiving this information, Waruna Jayasunra assigned the responsibility of chasing and trapping the treasure smugglers to Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne, the Galle regional commander of the Special Task Force. After a long information investigation conducted by a selected group of the Galle camp with the support of the intelligence department, Kularatne and the special task force team was roaming around Siambalanduwa and Medagama on the 7th of last year after receiving clear information that the treasure smugglers under investigation were preparing to recover a treasure.
Even then, this special task force group had received information that they had found treasures by demolishing the ancient places on that side. According to the information gathered by the Special Task Force at that time, there was also a seer in this treasure smuggling gang, who is said to have the power to tell where treasures are and is a resident of Moratuwa Egoda Uyana.
The gang digs for treasure with a device to detect rocks and other materials inside the ground. The owner of that device was a resident of Sirimal Uyane, in Udahamulla, Panadura. He had been working in Italy for some time and had brought the device to this country from Italy. These two were among the treasure smugglers who were doing business in Siyambalanduwa and Medagama. They were taken to Moratuwa and Panadura by an underworld figure named Tile Malli from Moranaragala in a jeep that belonged to him. It is said that the STF was alerted and started its operation when the gang left Moratuwa. Then the Special Task Force received information that they had also brought the scanner.
Accordingly, it became clear that this group was coming to Moneragala to find a treasure. When they got into the jeep belonging to Tile Malli and went from place to place, the police team, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne, also stayed behind so that they would not be noticed.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne was planning to search the jeep they were traveling in at two places in Siyambalanduwa at an instant roadblock and trap them with the scanner. It was because there was clear information that the scanner was in that Jeep.
Although everything went according to plan, things went awry at the last moment because they started moving towards Idalkumbura through byways due to a suspicion they had. Sisila Kumara, the then Moneragala Divisional Senior Superintendent of Police, has come to welcome them at Badalkumbura. Sisila Kumara, who had arrived in the police jeep, took the people in Tile Malli’s jeep into his police jeep and proceeded to his official residence in Moneragala, with Tile Malli’s jeep in front.
Treasure thieves
The Special Task Force officers, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne, were not discouraged. On the advice of Special Task Force Army Executive Waruna Jayasundara, he continued to chase after the treasure thieves. He kept guard near the official residence of the Superintendent of Police for many hours. The Special Task Force officers found that this group was very close with the Senior Superintendent of Police. They emerged from the Senior Superintendent of Police’s official residence late at night.
That day, Tile Malli’s house became the shelter for this group. A group of special task forces in disguise kept watch around that house until dawn that night, thinking that they would go to find a treasure in the night. But as expected, they did not step out of that house that day. They woke up the next morning and went to the official residence of Moneragala’s senior superintendent of police. They stayed there for seven or eight hours. He had been eating and drinking in the official residence of the Senior Superintendent of Police until that evening when he got out of a Prado-type Jeep used by Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara.
The owner of that jeep is a businessman from Moneragala. There is a problem with his business activities. Many people say that he is a cannabis trafficker. The fact that the Senior Superintendent of Police often travels in vehicles with that person is a common sight for the Moneragala side police officers as well as the villagers. The people who came to dig for treasure get in this jeep and come out of the Moneragala Superintendent of Police’s office.
A young woman was also taken there along with Sisila Kumara. The woman is from the Moneragala side. The plainclothes Special Task Force (STF) troops who were watching from outside did not see the SSP or the woman getting into the jeep. Therefore, they inform the Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne that the treasure smugglers are moving towards Wellawaya from the Moneragala Superintendent of Police office. They also gave the number of the Jeep in which they were travelling, bearing the UP HK 3573 number. Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne, who clearly realised that further delay in arresting these people will be a cause of regret, plans to stop and check this jeep on the way.
Accordingly, by the order of the Assistant Superintendent of Police, an immediate roadblock search post will be established at the Madureketiya area on the Moneragala-Wellawaya road.
As the jeep approaches there, a signal is received from the Special Task Force officers to stop it. Obeying the signal, the Jeep was stopped near the Special Task Force officers. Lowering the left-side window, a person inside introduced himself as “I am Moneragala Division.” At the same time, the Special Task Force officers greet him and check his identity to find out without doubt whether he is really the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of Moneragala Division. “Sir, who is this?” Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne asked, looking at the people in the driver’s seat.”This is my P. S. D. (private security division),” said the Superintendent of Police.The officers of the Special Task Force did not forget to confirm the identity of that person, who was said to be the police driver.
There, he was identified as Police Constable Botheju, who is attached to Moneragala Police Station. All four people were in the back of the jeep. Among them were Tile Malli and the two from Moratuwa and Panadura. When going to check their identity, Sisila Kumara faced a strong objection. He even asserted his power in front of the Special Task Force officers. At that time, when he found himself unable to control himself, Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne sought advice from his boss, Special Task Force Commander Waruna Jayasundara. There, he is instructed to check the suspects by explaining to him that the target is not the Senior Superintendent of Police. Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne also received an assurance from his boss that he would stand up for the officers if a problem arises.
The officers, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne, who were taken aback by that word, did not stop Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara’s gun, and all four who were staying behind got down from the jeep. They then verified their identity. Here, the special task force officers also took into custody the mobile phones of these people who were under suspicion. When examining the mobile phone, a set of photos of Moneragala and its surrounding places with ancient objects is found in it. By analysing the photographs one by one that they had taken at those places, it was found that these people had their eyes on those objects. The Jeep is placed after being inspected by Special Task Force soldiers. “Sir, the scanner is not in the vehicle.” “It is definitely in Mr. Division’s bungalow.” Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne made a phone call to his boss, DIG Waruna Jayasundara, after realizing that there was no point in stopping and checking the jeep. Waruna Jayasundara did not take a decision at will. Inspector General of Police C. D. Wickramaratne informed him of everything.
There, Waruna Jayasundara got the green light from the Inspector General of Police to continue the operation to its end without stopping in the middle. At the same time, a call from Waruna Jayasundara went to Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne. Accordingly, Kularatne took the senior superintendent of police and the group to the superintendent of police’s bungalow to check if the scanner was there. The Special Task Force soldiers even gave Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara, who was under their charge, the respect he deserved for the position. The special task force soldiers who went to the official residence began to search every corner of it based on the strong belief that they must have hidden the scanner there. But there was no scanner. Somehow Assistant Superintendent of Police Kularatne’s attention went to the ceiling of the house.
A special task force soldier snuck into it and took out a stack of cannabis plants wrapped in newspaper. The cannabis trees that were under the ceiling were taken out one by one, surprising everyone. In this way, the special task force soldiers took out 654 cannabis trees that were about five and a half feet high from under the ceiling.
The weight of those cannabis trees is 22 kg and 510 grams. Apart from that, the Special Task Force soldiers also found a cylindrical black stone chamber there. On investigating it, the Special Task Force officers found that it was obtained from an excavation at an archaeological site. Apart from that, two torches were also found by the Special Task Force soldiers while they were in the Superintendent of Police’s bungalow. But the scanner, which had been sought for hours, was not to be found.
Discovery of cannabis
Waruna Jayasundara had already informed the Inspector General about the discovery of cannabis on the ceiling of the official residence of the Senior Superintendent of Police. There, the Inspector General of Police advised that since there is no separate law for the Superintendent of Police, the law that applies to everyone should also be applied to him. Then the Police Special Task Force arrested Sisila Kumara that night without any hesitation. When he was arrested, the treasure smugglers opened up and revealed where the scanner was hidden.
The scanner is currently in the house of Buddama Wellepola Vatte. It was hidden there when the special task force officers chased after them on suspicion. According to that, the special task force soldiers went there and found the scanner and arrested a suspect who was hiding it.
The Special Task Force launched a long operation to search for that scanner and a group of treasure thieves who were digging for treasure with it. The Special Task Force did not know that Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara was a member of the gang until he was arrested. The Special Task Force did not have enough resources to do beyond that. From then on, the Inspector General of Police will hand over the investigations to the Criminal Investigation Department.
Accordingly, until a special police team, including a Superintendent of Police from the Criminal Investigation Department, arrives from Colombo and takes over the investigation, two cells of the Passara Police are reserved for Senior Superintendent of Police Sisila Kumara and others. One cell is reserved for the SSP, and the other cell is reserved for the gang, including his driver.
However, a new member was added by the Criminal Investigation Department on the 12th. It was Police Inspector Sanjay Sudath Dharmadasavaya, Police Station Commander in Atamale. The officers of the Criminal Investigation Department arrested him that night because what had emerged from the ceiling of the Superintendent of Police’s official house was a stock of cannabis that he had given to the Senior Superintendent of Police.
The stock of cannabis was seized by Atamale Police officers and taken to the police station to be presented to the court. After the arrest, the police station commander said that he had given the cannabis stock at the request of the SSP. While looking into it, the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department have found that this officer’s collection of cannabis is not something he has been doing since yesterday. It turns out that the history of this officer is true. Sisila Kumara, who is said to have played a good role during the terror period, has been a minister’s security officer for some time. An active politician who broke away from the JVP, he now represents the opposition.
Sisila Kumara, who had held the highest positions while remaining close to the said minister, was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police at the time and went to work in the Moneragala Police Division with political approval. Senior Superintendent of Police Sujith Vedamulla, who is the current Police Chief of Badulla, was working as Moneragala Police Chief at that time. When the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sisila Kumara, could not tolerate the illegal things he was doing with the cannabis smugglers at that time, he wrote a secret letter to the Inspector General of Police and requested that he never be employed in the Moneragala division.
Accordingly, the then Inspector General of Police, N. K. Ilangakoon, also requested a report from the intelligence department and sent Sisila Kumara to Kankasanthure, sending the letter sent by Senior Superintendent of Police Sujith Vedamulla to Sisila Kumara’s files in the police’s human resources management department. He did not stay long in Kankasanturai. Ilangakon retired from the post of Inspector General of Police, and when Pujith Jayasundara assumed the post of Inspector General of Police, he got a transfer and came to Negombo Division as a Superintendent of Police.
Prominent figures
When he arrived, he remained on duty as the police chief in charge of the area where the Katuwapitiya church was located when the Easter attack took place. He is one of the most prominent figures among the police team accused of failing to prevent the Easter attack despite receiving intelligence in advance. Against this backdrop, he is appointed as the Moneragala Divisional Police Chief with political backing. He was appointed as Moneragala Police Chief after replacing Senior Superintendent of Police Samantha Wijesekara, who was serving as Moneragala Police Chief at that time. Having arrived, he had to count sticks in a police cell in a police station under his command today. But it is impossible to say for how long.