Conch shell smuggling: Four remanded

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Four suspects arrested on Sunday by Kalpitiya Police on charges of smuggling tons of conch shells out of the country, were remanded until March 1 by the Kalpitiya Magistrate. Police said the suspects were arrested from a beach resort located in Ranpitiya Coast while they were loading the items in gunny bags to a trawler to transport them.

“There were 70 gunny sacks of conch shells altogether,” Kalpitiya Police said. The suspects were arrested along with the items.The arrest was made in the early hours following a tip-off, Police said. The suspects had transported conch shells to the beach in a tractor after storing them into gunny sacks, Police said.

OIC, Kalpitiya Police, Lakshman Ranwala Arachchi yesterday said, the arrest was made while the suspects were loading the sacks into the boat from the tractor.