Theft of gun, jewellery and cash:

Breaking and entering

Kamburupitiya town is twelve miles away from Matara towards the interior, passing Kamburupitiya town and on Mawarala road is Anda-pana owned by former Senator Sarath Wijesinghe. Before coming to this estate and a quarter mile this side is a fifty acre block of tea alone with a well designed house belonging to a retired planter named Bobby Perera who is now in his mid seventies. His wife Wilma is four years younger to him and she was suffering from Arthritis.

Beside Perera, was servant cum maid Lechchami and another elderly helper called Patrick. Lechchami was from Lellupitiya estate Ratnapura and brought here by her father who had died a couple of years back. And Bobbies became her guardians.

Bobby and Wilma had three children, all girls named Sheela, Sherin and Shirley the elder two were married to two top class government servants.

The youngest girl Shirley was a tom boy who did not show any interest in her studies and married a planter named Franklin Jocobs.

Shirley was living with him at Ingiriya and finally lost his job at Tabertant Estate.

Bobby Perera was a Methodical man, when he retired he was a visiting agent for several estates and had money, he bought 50 acres of Barren land and planted tea.

He gave the two elder daughters fifteen acres each and Shirley, the apple of his eye 20 acres. All three were to get this after his death.

The elder two daughters did not want any money and on their request the house was written in Shirley’s name. Franklin Jacob had found a planters job in Zambia through his brother-in-law. And both Franklin and Shirley wanted to migrate there.

Bobby preferred Shirley to be with him and finally gave the green light for her to go. Shirley asked her dad for a loan of rupees one and half lakhs, which he readily agreed to pay.

Franklin and Shirley was to fly to Zambia on February 23, 1970 and the money for the agent for the passage had to be paid two weeks before departure, and the date had been tentatively fixed for February 09, 1970, the latest.

Bobby rang up his daughter and wanted her to come with her husband near Bank of Ceylon, Matara between 1.45 and 2 pm on February 02, 1970.

On February 8, Bobby got himself chauffeur driven to Matara and got down at the bank around 1.30 pm and presented his cheque for rupees 150,000 the bank clerk who knew Bobby cashed the cheque and told him to be careful of the money when he goes to the streets.

Bobby counted the money it was in rupees ten denominations and there were fifteen bundles. He put them in his suit case bid adios to the bank clerk and proceeded to the spot where Shirley and Franklin were waiting.

When Bobby was counting the money one Palis a bad character from Kamburupitiya saw this and thought of playing out this money somehow or other.

Bobby went to the Rest House by the sea, ordered his lunch and lunch for his driver. Bobby had two stiff arracks, had a sumptuous lunch went to tavern bought two bottles of Carlsberg beer, a bottle of white arrack and all requirements for the house and came home around 4 pm.

Palis went to Karagoda Uyangoda and met another thief named Jaan Singno and both of them agreed to get the assistance of Welin Rodrigo who is a seasoned criminal from Kamburupitiya.

Three of them met at Kodikara Hotel Kamburupitiya and all three agreed to commit this offence on one condition that no rape or murder would take place.

Now the time was around 7 pm they agreed to meet again at the entrance to Vilegoda temple around 9.30 pm.

Bobby as usual listened to the English news at 9.30 pm locked doors and closed windows and retired to his room.

Elderly Patrick the watcher put his mat at the open verandah and went to sleep. Madam Wilma and Lechchami retired to their room.

The three men Jaan, Palis and Weling came near Vilegoda temple and all three met there and proceeded to Andapana Estate. Jaan had brought a bottle of Kassippu, they made a cup from a broad “Kottamba” leaf and three of them started drinking Kassippu.

They killed time till around 1 am, came to Bobby “Mahaththaya’s” house saw Patrick fast asleep, he was bundled and whisked away and threatened not to shout and dumped in a corner of the estate away from the house. All three came back. Palis removed a window pane and three bars from a back window and entered the bungalow, opened the rear and the front doors. Jaan and Welin entered Bobby’s room Bobby got up and picked up his gun. It was forcibly taken by Jaan. This gun was a “Winchester”. Jaan collected the cartridges also. Bobby was given two hard blows and tied with a rope and was ordered to kneel down. Palis went to Wilma’s room, Wilma who was up by the disturbance begged Palis not to trouble Lechchami.

All three raided the house for the money but could only find rupees 185.50 they asked Wilma for the jewellery and she pointed to the drawer in an almirah.

There was a golden neck-chain, gold ring and two golden bangles. This ring in question was her wedding ring where Bobby and her husband’s initials “DBP+WJ” had been engraved on the inner side.

Three men left the house with the gun and the loot.

Wilma and Lechchami untied Bobby and released him. Patrick came home in the morning. The Grama Sevaka sent me his serial report informing this incident. I left on enquiry with PC Umagiliya and PC Fernando. We reached the residence of Bobby around 7.30 pm Wilma was happy that the servant girl was not molested and no injury was caused to them.

But Bobby said that the loss of his gun had to be reported. I recorded a detailed statement of Bobby Perera. He produces the gun permit issued by the Government agent in Matara. It had been licensed for the current year and license issued on January 05, 1970 by GA Matara. They had also taken the wedding ring, it was half a sovereign and of 22 carat, two gold bangles one gold neck chain and seven cartridges all worth rupees 2210.00.

A message was given to HQI Matara to send two police dogs to the scene and also a message was given to registrar of finger prints to send officers to dust for prints and photograph the scene. Police dogs Derrik and Roger were given the scent and both dogs lead their handlers to a stream down the estate and the dogs lost the scent, as the culprits had waded through the stream.

Sergeant Hemapala of the RFP who dusted the place said that two clear prints were traced in the inner side of the almirah where jewellery was taken. They were photographed and taken for development.

On the following morning the high priest of Vilegoda temple sent word for me, he is a relative of a good friend of mine from Kahawa.

When I went to see him in the morning he told me that an Upasaka Amma who lives in the other side of the stream had got up in the night to answer a call of nature and had seen three persons going through her land around 3 am and they had not seen her. She had identified one of them from his voice as Palis. I thanked him and came out.

I sent PC Karunasena to watch the movements of Palis. His son had told Palis was at home when he questioned, Palis’s wife had told that Palis was working at Hakmana for the last four days and had not come home. I did not want to question the Upasaka Amma as the priest did not want her name exposed. I detailed most of my off duty men to trace Palis but was unsuccessful.

One week later RFP who had taken prints had identified two sets of finger prints found in the almirah as of the convicted criminal 264/65 Pathirage Palis Silva. Confidential inquiry was made and learnt that Jaan Silva had left the village and his whereabouts were not known.

I spoke to SP Matara and got two IRC supervisors from Matara for this inquiry. IRC supervisors always work in civil and do not take short hair cuts and don’t look like policemen at all.

Information was received that Palis was now digging river sand in Nilwala Ganga in Akuressa police area. I sent two IRC supervisors disguised as labourers to this spot to work with the sand diggers. Within three days they arrested Palis and brought him before me.

Palis was easy chicken, he confessed that the night burglary was done by three of them Jaan, Welin and himself and the gun and cartridges was taken by Jaan, Welin took the jewellery to a pawn brokers shop, Matara and sold the entire lot for rupees 2000 and gave him 1000 rupees. His statement was recorded and remanded him to fiscal custody.

We made all attempts to trace the whereabouts of the other two suspects, both of them were absconding. Jaan was said to be coming home late night and leaves early morning. Two PCs and I went to Jaan’s house around midnight parked the jeep about half a mile away and went on foot.

I got the sergeant to tap on the front door whilst the constable and I covered the rear door. All of a sudden a man jumped out of the rear door and he was arrested by us.

He gave his name as Pedige Jaan Fernando. I recorded his statement in consequence to this, I recovered the gun and two cartridges. The other five cartridges he had spent. I checked the number of the gun, it was identical. He too was taken in to custody and subsequently remanded him to Fiscal custody. Suspect Welin was still hiding.

Finally he surrendered to police through P W Danny Grama Sevaka of Athureliya. I recorded his statement. He admitted having taken part in the robbery with other two and he was given the jewellery by Jaan to be taken to Gabada Weediya to a pawn brokers shop and to sell it. Accordingly he sold it for rupees 2145.75 of this he gave rupees 1000 to Palis. I met the Chettiyar at Galaboda Weediya the stolen goods were still there, I collected them, recorded Chettiyar’s statement and told him to appear in courts on receipt of summons.

I filed plaint against all three accused in MC Matara for committing robbery in the night, house breaking and theft of jewellery, a shot gun cartridges all to the value of rupees 3075.00 under section 382, 443/369 304 of the Ceylon Penal Code.

I met Magistrate Matara Terrance Warusawithana in his chambers and told the Magistrate entire detail, of the case. Proctor Mahesh Jayawickrama who was the leading lawyer at the Matara bar did not want to contest the case, but wanted to plead guilty on the first court day itself.

When the case was called up he pleaded guilty on behalf of the three suspects for all the charges and the case was postponed for identification and sentence. On this date the Magistrate sentenced accused Jaan and Palis on their own pleas for a period of two years for house breaking and one year for robbery, and sentenced Welin for a period of two years and one year and further one year for retention of stolen property.

These sentences were to run concurrently.

Ananda Jayasena (Snr. Suprintendent of Police Rtd.) Boralasgamuwa