The Colombo Crimes Division said that the person who was blocking the road in front of the Kolonnawa Oil Refinery and threatening the police stating that he will set himself on fire together with his two children if arrested, was arrested after great effort.
A bottle filled with petrol, a lighter and a pointed knife in the possession of the suspect were taken into custody by the police.
When the officers of the Colombo Crimes Division had gone to the Wellampitiya on Thursday evening (6) to arrest the suspect, who had been issued a warrant by court for the having heroin, the suspect had fled and it had been possible to take into police custody the mobile phone used by him.
Then after about two hours, the suspect who had returned home, had dressed his two non-school going girls aged 7 and 10 years in school uniforms and left the house with them, carrying a bottle filled with petrol, a lighter and a sharp knife and come and seated himself on the ground of the railway tracks running across the road in front of the Dematagoda, Kolonnawa Oil Refinery
Police said that he had threatened the police saying that he would set himself on fire together with the two children if the police arrested him.
When the officers of the Colombo Crimes Division arrived to check on the heavy traffic on
Kolonnawa- Dematagoda Road, they had seen a person sitting on the ground with two children and threatening the police and blocking the road. Police said that they were able to identify him as the person who had fled when they attempted to arrest him a few hours ago.
The police officers who acted immediately had taken the sharp knife, bottle of petrol and lighter which the suspect had in his possession and arrested him and brought him to the
police station. A heavy traffic jam had been created on the Dematagoda-Kolonnawa road due to the actions of the suspect.
Investigations have revealed that the arrested suspect is a person who has six cases pending in court for burglary, possession of a bomb and possession of heroin. Police said that the suspect’s wife had left with another man, leaving the two children with the suspect.
A senior police officer said that the two children will be handed over to probation as instructed by the court. The suspect is scheduled to be produced in court. Investigations are being carried out b y a team of police officers including Inspector Ratnamalala and Deepal on the instructions of Colombo Crimes Division Director ASP Neville de Silva and OIC Chief Inspector Chief Inspector Anselm de Silva.