Vehicle thief ran taxi service

Bhakti DHARMAPRIYA MENDIS

A person who had engaged in a mass scale robbery of vehicles on the pretext of running a taxi service was apprehended by Colombo Crime Detection Bureau officers who seized two vans and three cars sold by him to unsuspecting customers yesterday in Hambantota, Matara, Maharagama and Beruwala. Investigations revealed that the suspect had engaged in this racket by running a taxi service for nearly a year by publishing newspapers and television advertisements.

The suspect who had hired in a luxury house in Dolekade, Homagama posing as a millionaire businessman had obtained vehicles from vehicle owners on lease for his so called taxi service paying sums ranging from Rs 35,000 to Rs 100,000 per month.

He had later sold the vehicles and raked in vast sums of money which he had spent lavishly on women and wine.

Police said the suspect who had sold more than 25 vehicles in this manner was rounded up at Ratnapura after pursuing him for several days.