Eight underworld leaders arrested in Mount Lavinia

Sarath Malalasekera

COLOMBO: A special squad attached to the Mount Lavinia Police uncovered a massive extortion and robbery racket following the arrest of eight most wanted underworld gang leaders on Monday night.

Mount Lavinia SSP Eddison Gunatilleke said that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had directed the Mount Lavinia Police Division to set-up special squads to eradicate the drug menace in the area and to arrest all the underworld gang leaders irrespective of their positions.

SSP Gunatilleke who assisted in arresting the underworld gang leaders said the Defence Secretary had also directed the Mount Lavinia Police division to wipe-out terrorist activities in the area.

“We conducted the massive midnight operation jointly with a Army team who cordoned off the area during the operation to assist the police special squad,” SSP Gunatilleke said.

The special police squad also raided a safe house of underworld gang leaders situated at Ratmalana, Weliwatta area and recovered several stolen items including weapons. The special squad comprising over 120 policemen and women deployed by Western Province South DIG Chandana Wickremaratne recovered millions of rupees worth gold jewellery stolen by organised gang leaders.

They also recovered a haul of hard drugs worth over Rs. 350,000, one T 56 weapon, three hand bombs, one small pistol and several live rounds of ammunition from the custody of the suspects who are now detained under Emergency Regulations.

The special squad searched over 275 houses in the area during the operation. Twenty nine persons who were taken into custody along with the eight underworld gang leaders were later released after questioning them at length.

Mount Lavinia HQI Chief Inspector Manjula Fernando, Chief Inspectors Chandra Kumarasinghe Weerasinghe, Rupananda, Lalith Abeysinghe, Inspectors Prasanna Silva, Dusantha, SIs Premawansa, Siripala. Manoj, Liyanage and several other policemen attached to the Mount Lavinia police conducted the special operation.