Chain snatcher tied to a tree
DEHIOWITA: A notorious chain snatcher described as an Army deserter was apprehended by the public and tied to a tree at Atulagama, Dehiowita last week following a botched theft.
The suspect had arrived on a motorcycle to a fruit vendor’s shop and had allegedly attempted to grab the necklace from a woman.However, the woman had put up a strong struggle before area residents arrived on the scene and pounced on the suspect.
The man was later tied to a tree before being handed over to the police.
Investigations have revealed that the suspect had deserted the army several years ago and was wanted in connection with a series of thefts.
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BIA janitor on the mat with gold
KATUNAYAKE: A janitor of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was arrested along with an inbound passenger while attempting to smuggle 26 kg of gold biscuits and jewellery valued at over Rs. 317 million yesterday, a senior Customs official said.
He said the passenger who had arrived on a flight from Doha had allegedly attempted to pass on the gold to the janitor inside a wash room at the arrival lounge.
The bust was made after weeks of surveillance on the janitor who is suspected to have made several earlier gold runs with the connivance of passengers, the official said.
The gold was found tightly strapped on the passenger’s body.
Yesterday’s detection comes barely two weeks after a janitor at the BIA was nabbed while attempting to smuggle a consignment of gold that was handed over to him by a passenger who had arrived from the United Arab Emirates.
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Five held in FB motorcycle race
MAWANELLA: Five youth were arrested and later released after a stern warning for organising a motor cycle race at Mawanella yesterday, police said.
They said the youths were a part of a larger group who had fled as the police closed in.
The group was arrested on the Debathgama-Mawanella Road.
The race had been organised through FaceBook and the participants were charged a fee by the organisers.
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Woman killed by truck tested positive for Covid-19
MORATUWA: A 35-year-old woman who died after she was run over by a truck last week had tested positive for Covid-19, police said.
The incident took place on the Katukurunda-Moratuwa road when the victim was attempting to cross the road on the pedestrian crossing.
The woman succumbed to her injuries at the National Hospital in Colombo (NHC).
A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test carried out on the victim before she died had confirmed that she was Covid-19 positive, a hospital official said.
The truck driver was later arrested.
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Police hunt for hacker
POLICE HQ: Investigators were yesterday hunting for a hacker who posted a fake police notice on social media with confusing health guidelines.
The notice posted along with a doctored police logo was circulated on social media at the start of this week.
Sleuths from the Police Computer Division had been called to carry out further investigations into the case, a senior official said.
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Teen held for spreading fake news
A 19-year-old youth from Kahatapitiya in Gampola was taken into custody for allegedly circulating fake news on social media, police said.
The suspect was taken into custody along with a mobile phone that he allegedly used to upload the content that incited racial and religious issues, police said. The suspect had posted various fake news creating disharmony among certain ethnic and religious groups, according to police.
Gampola Police are conducting further investigations.