Law & Order
Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe
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A police constable who had been sacked from service and another person who were riding
on a motorcycle suspiciously near the Embilipitiya Hospital on Monday night together have been arrested by a team of Embilipitiya Police officers.
The police suspect that these two suspects are involved in robberies carried out under the guise of being police officers, in Embilipitiya and surrounding areas.
This police constable had joined the police service on July 7, 2021. Recruited as a police driver, he had been working for some time as the driver of a director of a special police division at police headquarters.
When the higher officer had received information that the constable was addicted to ‘Ice’, he had been transferred to the Delft Police Station. After returning home subsequent to a short period of service in the Delft Police, this constable had been ordered to leave the service from September 22, 2022, as he had not reported for duty.
However, police had received information that he was engaged in various crimes posing as a police officer. This constable is a resident of Embilipitiya.
A senior police officer said that New Year carnivals are being held in Embilipitiya and surrounding areas these days.The officer said that a similar carnival was held in Kolonna area the day before and a person who was going home had been robbed by two persons under the guise of being policemen, the night before. Police also said that the mobile phone of the person had also been stolen.
After receiving a complaint about this, the Embilipitiya police had launched a special operation at night in Embilipitiya and surrounding areas. During this operation, two persons riding a motorcycle had been checked near Embilipitiya Hospital.
The motorcyclist, who was wearing an earring, had told the police that he was a police officer. Since his image did not appear to be that of a police officer, his identity card had been checked.
Then he had presented a police identity card. But when the police found three identity cards belonging to other people in his trouser pocket, he and the other person who was with him had been arrested on suspicion. During investigations, it had been found that this constable had been issued orders to leave the service. It was also revealed that the other person who was arrested by the police, had been caught by them on several previous occasions for drug trafficking and has also been in prison.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that this constable and the other person arrested with him are engaged in robbery under the guise of being police officers. In an inquiry made in this regard, Senior Superintendent of Police Sudath Masinghe in charge of the Embilipitiya Division stated that a comprehensive investigation is underway regarding the two suspects.
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – 01:08
