Bogus doctor escapes as car yields moonshine

Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

PANADURA: A con doctor turned out to be a bootlegger when the police fired at his vehicle after it sped away unheeding police warnings to stop.

Police found 350,000 rupees worth of illicit kassippu in the car along with the driver while the main suspect, the bogus doctor escaped. The driver revealed that the man who posed off as a doctor was a bootlegger.

According to Millanniya police the Toyota Carina car had tinted windows and a badge of a renowned sports club in Colombo 7. The car had the appearance of a VIP car which was chauffeur driven.

The man who rode in the front seat posed off as an eminent physician. OIC Millaniya Inspector Ananda Silva said the car leaves Wennappuwa every evening and arrives at Piliyandala and in Panadura area with a load of Unlawfully Distilled Sprits (UDS) known as Kassippu.

The bogus doctor usually carried a stethoscope around his neck to deceive policemen while travelling in the vehicle.

The incident happened at Millanniya police area on Wednesday around 11. 45 p.m. when the vehicle plying at high speed near the Dharmachakra Foundation ignored the police signals to stop. The vehicle ran off the road and ended up at a culvert when police fired at the vehicle.

In the meantime the bogus physician who was in the car escaped while the driver was taken into custody following the discovery of moonshine (Kassippu) concealed in several polythene bags.

OIC Millaniya, Police Inspector Ananda Silva said they are searching for the bogus doctor who had gone into hiding.

The police suspect that the vehicle belonged to a wealthy illicit hooch dealer at Wennappuwa. A vehicle belonging to the same hooch dealer was confiscated five years ago by courts, he said.