Over 100 treasure vandalisation complaints

Chaminda Perera

Over 100 complaints of vandalisation of archaeological sites in search of treasures have been received upto yesterday by the Special Police Unit set up at the Archaeological Department.

According to the OIC of the Police unit, IP Chaminda, inquiries have been made by the unit into more than 31 cases and others have been investigated by the police stations.

Four treasure hunters involved in the excavation of a land behind the Gallegoda Primary School in the Kotawehera Police division, Nikaweratiya were arrested recently, he said.

He said the Archaeological Department's Assistant Director E.P.R.S. Perera inspected the site where the vandals have made excavations and confirmed that it is an archaeological site.

"There is a belief in the area that gems and jewellery have been buried in this land and these vandals were carrying out excavations in search of them," he said. Four suspects arrested on June 3 were reremanded till July 1 by the Nikaweratiya Magistrate.

"We are investigating two such incidents in Ratnapura and Embilipitiya," he said.