An individual who was reported to have been abducted by an armed group of men at Ipalogama in Anuradhapura, has been arrested by police while in hiding in the Nochchiyagama area.
The suspect, who is said to be the leader of a criminal gang, was arrested this morning (13) during an operation carried out by the Criminal Investigations Department’s gang robbery unit, the police spokesman’s office said.
The suspect’s wife had lodged a complaint with Ipalogama Police claiming that her husband, Ajantha Pushpakumara, was abducted by a group of armed men at their home on April 09.
Two police teams had launched investigations into the complaint under the direction of the SSP in charge of Anuradhapura division, on the orders of IGP Pujith Jayasundara, while it was uncovered that the person in question had not been abducted.
The arrested suspect is believed to be the leader of criminal gang responsible for several major robberies carried out in Anuradhapura area since 2014.
Investigations had also uncovered his involvement in the theft of 11.5kg of gold, worth around Rs 70 million, from a safe at a financial institution in Anuradhapura on November 26, 2016.
A resident of Vaddukoddai in Jaffna, considered to be an expert in breaking into safes, has also been arrested over his ties to this gang, police said.
