JVP fear psychosis - Part II:

Fear psychosis reaches peak

Rs 22m Wellawatte bank robbery planned beside Colombo Blood Bank:

Geoff Wijesinghe

The Colombo General Hospital’s (Colombo National Hospital) Blood Bank is located near the Medical College, beside the old clock tower at Kynsey Road, Borella.

The Blood Bank has a rich history as old and as eventful as its parent, the Colombo National Hospital.

It is a very vital arm of the hospital, which provides the blood to save hundreds of lives every day.

While there are many voluntary donors, such as friends and relatives of patients and welfare organizations whose members donate blood free, there are also others who donate blood because they are in dire need of money.

These are the Red Card holders. There are also the braver and more adventurous among students who donate a pint of blood so as to find money to see a movie and have a Thosai feed. Of course, they are also rewarded with a fee, plus a hot mug of milk, which serves as a reviver.

The upturn

It was February 7, 1989 and the JVP fear psychosis at its peak, the upturn before the downswing and final disaster, which resulted in the elimination of its leadership who had been transformed in two short years from tub-thumping socialites into land owning capitalists and Mafia-style killers.

They were finally found to have used the movement they created in the name of capitalism to become warlords, Al Capone style gangsters, eliminating those who opposed them by the droves. The lives of the others had no value for them. They only valued life when their lives were at stake.

“Gamini”, the JVP’s short, stocky psychopath No: 01 serial killer was now participating in all big assignments. Whether it be the killing of an important person, a major attack on a defence establishment, or a bank robbery, he was assigned a key role, for, as he later told police, nothing gave him more pleasure than to see blood gushing from a victim he had shot dead, usually with a T-56 semiautomatic rifle.

At 8.00 am on February 7, 1989, “Gamini” told police, he met “Samare”, the JVP’s district secretary for Colombo. A little later, “Cam”, “Jag”, “Jaya” and “Wick” arrived. It was by the milk bar by the Colombo National Hospital’s Blood Bank at Kynsey Road that they had gathered.

The group moved to a point just by the Blood Bank’s old iron gates, where “Samare” briefed the JVP’s military wing squad on the broad outline of the plan to raid the People’s Bank Branch on Galle Road, Wellawatte.

“Jaya” next took the group of subversives through the Medical College gate to a room in the General Hospital’s ground floor. When “Gamini” and his group entered the room, they found there the DJV’s military wing leader for Colombo “Pathi”, “Jeg”, his old comrade in terrorism “As” and another terrorist who took part in the Katubedda bank robbery.

There were chairs and a table in the room. Comfortably seated on the chairs, the JVP hit squad members were given a detailed brief on the layout of the People’s Bank branch at Wellawatte. “Pathi” produced a map giving details of the location of the security guards, the safes, counters and other points relevant to the robbery.

Earlier occasions

In the case of the twin robberies committed at the Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank branches in Katubedda at Moratuwa, it was “Pathi” who had briefed the terrorists, “Gamini” recalled.

“Pathi” instructed “Gamini” and “Cam” to hold the bank guards inside at gunpoint and disarm them. “Wick” and “Jeg” were told to hold the guards outside the bank. “As” and another terrorist were ordered to take the security guard on duty at the pawn broking section.

Once the security guards were taken control of, the robbers were told to collect all the day’s collections.

“Gamini” gathered that the leaders wanted to stage the robbery on the same day.

There was also a subversive “Hector” present at the briefing.

However, after some discussion, “Pathi” announced that they did not have a vehicle in hand to stage the robbery that same day. One had to be found, he said.

The Colombo military wing organizer of the JVP told “Gamini” to collect two rifles from a safe house at Sedawatte.

Pre-planning

“Samare,” the Colombo district leader of the JVP wanted him to take the two T-56 rifles to the safe house in which “Gamini” was staying. “Samare” then handed each of the DJV hit men Rs 50 as out-of-pocket expenses.

The briefing over, “Gamini” hopped onto the pillion of “Samare”s C 125 Honda motorcycle and rode to Pettah. The others had been told to assemble opposite the Savoy Cinema near the Wellawatte Bridge at 10.00 am on that day. Their weapons would be handed to them there.

“Cam” had been asked to go near Jinasiri Hotel at Thotalanga, where he would be handed two bags containing guns, to be used for the bank heist. At Pettah, “Samare” went into a shop and returned with two big rexine bags in which they were to pack the weapons.

“Gamini” slung the bags over his shoulders and continued to ride the pillion on “samare’s motorbike.

They met “Cam” near the hotel at Thotalanga. Asking the two others to wait, “Samare” went to fetch a van to be used for the bank robbery.

About half an hour later, “Samare” arrived and reported that he could not find a vehicle. “Gamini” told “Samare” - “it is now too late. Let’s put off the robbery for tomorrow.” “Samare” agreeing, asked “Cam” to tell the others that the job had been postponed for the morrow, when they should gather at the same spot at the same time.

Wellawatte robbery

“Gamini” took the two bags and went to “Aso’s home. “Samare” and “Cam” also left.

“Gamini”, having left the bags at his fellow terrorist’s home, went to the home of “Gami” at Sedawatte. He was out, but his wife was at home.

He then went to Thotalanga Junction and “Da” and “Viji” were there. “Gamini told them- “Let’s go find a van for the Wellawatte bank robbery.”

“Gamini” was now a senior DJV cadre who now hobnobbed with the higher echelons of the JVP. He had come a long way from his days as a beetle nut vendor on the Horana pavements. He was now the undisputed No: 01 killer of the JVP, a man dreaded by both friend and foe alike. “Gamini” was now on a never before high.

But, he told police, he was not interested in wealth like the JVP leadership. All he wanted was to kill more and more people using his favourite weapon, the T-56 rifle, for he lusted for blood not for money, but for satisfaction.

These were the terrible forces the JVP leadership was unleashing on the law-abiding citizens of this isle. For, “Gamini” was recruited after the JVP Politburo took a decision to recruit psychopaths and make them into killers.

They then went to the safe house at Punchi Borella where they had been given shelter after several of their principal crimes.

“Kap,” the terrorist who lived there, had given them a vehicle number plate and a pistol. The threesome had gone to the Rajagiriya Junction, where “Gamini” handed the handgun to “Viji” and asked him and “Da” to meet him there for the bank robbery.

He would wait there with the number plate. The time was now 2.00 pm.

“Gamini” waited for the two others for a long while before they arrived with disappointment written on their faces. They had failed to obtain a van.

The group of terrorists next took a bus to the Koswatte Junction and waited there.

At gunpoint

After some time, a white Hi Ace van arrived, passed New Lanka Bakery and was about to stop near a hardware store, when “Gamini” jumped onto the path of the oncoming vehicle and stopped it at gunpoint.

“Da” got into the driving seat, while “Viji” and “Gamini” sat in front beside the driver.

They drove along the road to the IDH Junction, from there to Kohilawatte and onto the Sedawatte Road, where they stopped at “Gam’s house.

“Gamini” instructed “Viji” to collect the two bags from “Aso’s house, then collect two T-56 rifles which were at “Gami’s, pack them into the bags and wait there.

“Gamini and “Da” drove to a tea chest manufacturing factory and parked the van at the rear. A JVP supporter “Kum” worked at the factory.

“Gamini” instructed that the false number plate be fixed onto the van once it became dark. This was duly done.

Having told “Da” to wait with the van until the following morning when he would return, “Gamini” left, armed with a pistol.

Meeting point

“Gamini” told police that about 6.30 am on the morning of February 8, 1989, he left his safe house at Punchi Borella by bus and arrived at the place where the robbed van was parked at Sedawatte.

There, he met “Da” and a Petti Kade owner “Kum.”

At 8.30 am, “Gamini” and “Da” drove to “Gami”s house and found “Viji” waiting there with the bags containing the T-56 rifles.

He got into the van with the bags.

They next drove to Thotalanga and picked up “Cam” who was waiting near Jinasiri Hotel. The three of them then drove to the meeting point near Savoy Cinema at Wellawatte, where they parked on a byroad.

“Gamini” said he tucked the pistol into the waistband of his trousers and stepped out with “Cam.” They met “Pathi” in front of Savoy Cinema.

“I informed the DJV organizer for Colombo that I had brought the guns and the van required for the bank robbery. He instructed us to go to the prearranged points near the bank and wait. I was wearing a blue shirt and a pair of grey trousers. The pistol was tucked into my waist.”

He continued, “Da” drove the van towards Mount Lavinia. “Cam” and I went into the bank. The others were already there. I saw “Wick” doing something with a form in his hand. I then heard a shot from a T-56 rifle being fired. This shot, I thought, came from “Pathi”s gun. There was a tall, fair man with “Pathi.” He too, had a T-56. Both of them were just outside the entrance to the bank. As “Cam” and I went up to the counter, I heard another shot being fired.”

The terrorist who was with “Pathi” came inside the bank and addressed the bank staff, pointing a gun at them. He told the shocked bank employees, “Don’t shout. Don’t get excited. We will not harm a single of you.”

“I then saw one of the bank guards lying on the ground. He had a repeated shotgun in his hand. I snatched it from him,” “Gamini” told police.

“Gamini” handed the shotgun to “Jeg” and asked him to deposit it in the van. “Gamini” then saw “Pathi” prodding two bank employees at gunpoint and getting them to open the safes. There were about five to six safes.

“Jaya” then brought two empty fertilizer bags, and stuffed cash and gold jewelry into them.

“Then suddenly I heard one of our gang members shouting from outside.”

The JVP robbers then carried the bags full of loot - Rs 22 million in cash and jewelry - and deposited them in the getaway van.

“We put our weapons too, inside the van and all of us got in. Seated in front was “Pathi” and the tall fair man. I got in behind with the others. The van was parked at the rear entrance to the bank facing the Galle Road.”

“Da” who was at the wheels took the van onto the Galle Road, turned right and after proceeding a short distance, turned left and then right again on a gravel lane. “As”, “Jeg” and I got down. The van drove off.”

“Gamini” continued, “We got into a three wheel scooter taxi and went along the gravel road and came into High Level Road at a point near the Bo Tree Junction at Kirillapone. We paid the driver Rs 20, got down and took a bus. I alighted at the Eye Hospital Junction and walked down Regent Street to the safe house at Punchi Borella,” said “Gamini.”