A Sri Lankan businessman has been arrested at the Katunayake Airport with a stock of gold valued at Rs. 11,885,514, it was reported.

According to the Police, the 53‑year‑old suspect, a resident of Matale, was taken into custody yesterday (08) by officers of the Airport Police Narcotics Division. 

He had arrived from Dubai at 6.30 am and was allegedly attempting to move the gold out of the airport without a license or declaration to Customs.

Investigators said the suspect had concealed 12 gold necklaces weighing 271.48 grams, 10 bangles, and 2 gold biscuits inside his luggage.

The man was later handed over to officials of the Customs Preventive Office for further inquiry. 

During a formal customs examination, the gold stock was confiscated, and the passenger was ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 1 million. (Newswire)

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Police have arrested the main suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a businessman near the Wettumakada Muslim Mosque in Kalutara South on May 28.

The Walana Anti‑Vice Strike Unit apprehended the suspect, identified as 35‑year‑old Imran, who was found in possession of ICE narcotics at the time of arrest.

According to the Police, the victim was travelling on a scooter when gunmen in a motor vehicle blocked his path and opened fire using a T‑56 assault rifle, discharging four rounds. 

The attack occurred around 8.45 am as the victim was returning from the mosque after attending the Hajj festival prayers.

The injured man was rushed to Kalutara Nagoda Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. He was a 38‑year‑old resident of Marikkar Street, Kalutara South, and was known to supply cattle to slaughterhouses.

Investigations are continuing under the supervision of the Walana Anti‑Vice Strike Unit. (Newswire)

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The victim in the shooting incident reported in Kalutara South today (28) has been identified as a businessman from the area.

Addressing the media, Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said that the deceased is a 38-year-old man. 

“A group that had arrived in a car opened fire at the businessman who was travelling on a motorcycle,” he said. 

ASP Wootler added that three Police teams under the Kalutara South Police have launched investigations into the shooting. (Newswire)

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A Sri Lankan passenger carrying a consignment of Kush‑type narcotics valued at around Rs. 700 million was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport.

The arrest was made this morning (07) by officials of the Customs Narcotics Control Unit while the suspect attempted to take the drugs out through the airport’s “Green Channel.”

The suspect is a 24‑year‑old businessman from Ja‑Ela, who operates a tourist hotel in Kudapaduwa, Negombo.

He had brought the narcotics from Bangkok, Thailand, to New Delhi, India, and then arrived in Sri Lanka today at 7:33 am on Air India flight AI 277.

The drugs were concealed inside two pieces of luggage, packed in 15 carbon‑wrapped parcels designed to prevent air leakage, along with a large number of snack packets to disguise them. In total, 7.70 kilos of Kush were recovered.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the consignment had been entrusted to him by a Sri Lankan woman currently residing in Thailand, with instructions to bring it into the country.

For further investigations, both the seized narcotics and the arrested passenger have been handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau officers at Katunayake Airport. (Newswire)

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The Colombo High Court has sentenced a Sri Lankan businessman to three years rigorous imprisonment for evading payment of over US$ 5 million for two container-loads of fruits, it was reported.

According to the Sunday Times, the court had also ordered the accused to pay compensation of Rs 15 million to the US exporter.

The accused, a fruit wholesaler based in Pettah, had exported fruits from a US-based exporter for a long time, with the agreement to pay after the container arrives in Sri Lanka.

The business was conducted on mutual trust, with the accused having purchased goods on earlier occasions and having duly paid for them. 

However, the accused had evaded payment for the last two container-loads of fruits, such as grapes and apples, that the US-based exporter had sent to him.

Following the high court trial on the matter, the accused was found guilty and sentenced by High Court Judge Nadee Aparna Suwandurugoda. (Newswire)

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A businessman from Katuneriya, Marawila, who was reported missing since Monday (30 June), has been found dead. 

His body was found after investigations were conducted by the Wennappuwa Police based on a complaint that the 31-year-old businessman was missing.

Investigations had led to the man’s vehicle being found at his friend’s residence in Wennappuwa last evening.

Interrogations of the friend had led the Police to find the man’s body inside a waste pit of a private company in Wennappuwa. 

The Police state the businessman had been attacked with a knife and murdered by an individual, after an argument had escalated while consuming alcohol with five friends at a house. 

The body of the businessman had later been disposed of in the waste pit of the private company in the area.

One suspect arrested in connection with the murder is due to be produced before the Marawaila Court, while the Police have launched investigations to apprehend the other suspects. (Newswire)

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Two suspects have been apprehended over the recent murder of a businessman from Kurunegala, whose charred body was found inside a vehicle in a forest area in Mahawa last week.

The deceased is a 49-year-old businessman from the hospitality industry and a resident of the Millawa area of ​​Kurunegala.

Several Police teams were deployed to investigate the incident, after which Police investigations confirmed that he had been murdered.

Investigations conducted thus far reveal that the businessman had been abducted while travelling in his vehicle and had later been murdered.

The suspects had then fled with cash, gold jewellery and a mobile phone belonging to the victim.

The Police arrested two suspects on Sunday in the Dhoratiyawa and Mahawa areas along with over Rs. 1.4 million in cash and gold jewellery worth over Rs. 4.8 million.

The suspects, aged 19 and 27, are residents of Mahawa and Pilessa. The Mahwa Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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The Police say the charred body of a man, which was found inside a vehicle in a forest area in the Diyabete area in Mahawa on Thursday, has been identified as that of a businessman. 

According to the Police, the body of the individual had been found based on a tip-off. 

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the deceased was a 49-year-old businessman from the hospitality industry and a resident of the Millawa area of ​​Kurunegala.

The Police said the victim’s wife had filed a complaint with the Doratiyawa Police, reporting him missing, after he had not returned home from leaving for a haircut on Wednesday evening.

After having found the charred body, the police had brought the woman in question for investigation, and she had identified the body as that of her husband.

The Mahawa Police is conducting further investigations into the incident. (Newswire)

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The victim killed in the shooting in Seeduwa today has been identified as a 51-year-old businessman.

According to the Police, the victim owned a store selling spare parts for sewing machines located at the Liyanagemulla area in Seeduwa.

The Police said an individual who had entered the store had shot the victim while inside and had fled the area.

The identity of the suspect and the mode of operation are yet to be ascertained.

The deceased has been identified as a 51-year-old resident of the Liyanagemulla area in Seeduwa.

The Seeduwa Police have launched an investigation to apprehend the suspect involved in the murder. (Newswire)

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One suspect, among two, has been arrested for threatening a businessman and his wife living in Thalawathugoda to extort Rs. 5 million.

According to the Lankadeepa newspaper, the couple had received death threats via phone calls locally and from Dubai, seeking the money. 

Among the two suspects involved, the Nugegoda Division Crimes Investigation Unit apprehended one suspect, who was found to be in possession of 700g of ICE narcotics.

Investigations were launched into the threats after the affected businessman had filed a complaint with the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The Nugegoda Division Crimes Investigation Unit launched a probe and also reported facts to the court in this regard. 

Following a court order, the investigating officers inspected the phone records enabling them to identify the local number and the suspect behind the calls. 

Thereafter, a suspect from Pannala had been arrested in connection to the incident. (Newswire)

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Nine (09) suspects have been arrested in connection to stealing over Rs. 60 million worth of cash and gold jewellery from the house of a gem businessman in the Devaladeniya area in Laggala in November. 

The group had carried out the robbery after tying the hands and feet of the businessman, his wife, and his father by threatening them with a firearm, after which they had fled the area using the businessman’s car. 

Investigations launched by the Laggala Police led to the arrest of 09 suspects from the Mawathagama and Polpithigama areas yesterday. 

The Police had retrieved over Rs. 10 million in cash, 07 sovereigns of gold, 02 toy pistols, one knife, and the van used to carry out the robbery, from the suspects’ possession.

The arrested suspects are aged between 38 and 49 years and are residents of Wattegama, Sapugaskanda, Polpithigama, Kurunegala, Ratnapura, and Wilgamuwa. 

The Laggala Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire) 

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A group of unidentified men have stolen Rs. 70 million worth of cash and gold jewellery from the house of a gem businessman in the Devaladeniya area in Laggala yesterday.

The Police said the group had carried out the robbery after tying the hands and feet of the businessman, his wife, and his father. 

The suspects had later fled the area using the businessman’s car. The Police found the vehicle this morning in the Thalakiriyagama area in Galewala, where it had been abandoned.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspects had stolen money, gold jewellery, and a gemstone worth Rs. 30 million during the robbery.

Inspection carried out using a Police sniffer dog led to a pair of shoes that may have been used by the suspects being found close to the abandoned vehicle.

The dog had also traced a spot close to the businessman’s house where the suspects are assumed to have waited prior to the robbery.

The Police said further investigations have also found that the suspects had also taken the security camera system installed at the businessman’s house. (Newswire)

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A 44-year-old businessman was arrested early this morning (09) at Bandaranaike International Airport for attempting to smuggle in goods worth approximately Rs. 10 million without declaring the goods to customs. 

The individual had tried to bypass customs by using the “Green Channel,” which is designated for passengers who have nothing to declare.

The suspect, a businessman from Negombo, is reportedly involved in the import and sale of goods via air travel. 

Upon inspection, customs officials discovered 152 smartphones, 5 tablets, 38 bottles of various brands of whiskey, 44 electronic cigarettes, and a large quantity of regular cigarettes concealed in his four pieces of luggage.

The businessman is currently being held in custody as further investigations are being conducted. (Newswire)

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Five suspects have been apprehended for abducting a businessman in Matara Town yesterday.

According to the Police, the suspects had arrived in a car and had abducted the businessman.

Following information that they were in the Malimbada area, the Matara Police arrested the suspects along with the car used to abduct the businessman, while the businessman was later handed over to the Police. 

The suspects aged between 28 and 53 years are residents of Denipitiya and Thelijjawila. 

Investigations have revealed that the businessman, who was travelling to Matara for personal work, was abducted over a financial dispute. 

The Matara Police is conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)

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A 50-year-old Sri Lankan citizen who had come to Chennai in India for business purposes was kidnapped by a gang, the India Express reported.

According to the report, the Police rescued him and arrested four people including a woman in connection with the incident.

The police identified K Chitra (43) of Anna Nagar West, M Riyaz Askhar (47) of Anna Nagar West, G Velmurugan (41) of West KK Nagar and K Dinesh (31) of West KK Nagar as the kidnappers of Mohammed Shyam, who came from Sri Lanka a few days ago and was staying at Parry’s Corner in Mannady in the northern part of Chennai.

The police said they received a complaint at the control room via phone from a woman who introduced herself as Shyam’s daughter. She said she was called on Wednesday by a person who claimed to have kidnapped her father and demanded a ransom of Rs 15 lakh for his release.

On Thursday the B-1 North Beach police tracked down the phone number from which the ransom call was made, arrested the four people and rescued Shyam. 

According to the police Chitra, whom Shyam owed money, and her boyfriend and other accomplices kidnapped the Sri Lankan man in a car. (NewsWire)

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A businessman has been robbed of Rs. 4.5 million after being attacked with chilli powder in the Meegoda area early this morning, it was reported.

According to Lankadeepa, the robbery had taken place when the businessman was on his way home after closing up his shop at the Meegoda Economic Centre which operates at night.

The Meegoda Police stated that the businessman had left the economic centre in his own three-wheeler along with an employee, who he had dropped off at Dhaham Mawatha.

On his way home, thereafter, an individual in another three-wheeler is said to have attacked him with chilli powder and had stolen the cash parcel from him.

The incident is reported to have taken place near Sri Rathana Mawatha in Meegoda.

The Meegoda Police have launched an investigation following a complaint filed by the businessman on the incident. (NewsWire) 

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The chief suspect, a businessman, wanted over the recent murder of a woman from the Mulleriyawa area has surrendered to the Police. 

The corpse of the woman without the head, hands, and feet was recovered from the Kottunna Oya near Biyagama.

The suspect who is a businessman has surrendered to the Police through his lawyers. 

An individual who is said to have assisted the main suspect in the murder had also surrendered to the Police today (Oct 02).

The chief suspect is a 53-year-old resident of Siyambalape, while the man who had assisted him is a 48-year-old priest from the area.

Investigations have revealed that the priest had assisted the chief suspect to sever parts from the victim’s body.

The suspects had arrived at the Police station in the vehicle that had been used to transport the body of the victim. 

The Sapugaskanda Police is conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)

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The Police have launched investigations into the murder of Lalith Wasantha Mendis, the father-in-law of State Minister D.V. Chanaka.

According to Lankadeepa, the Police are conducting investigations to ascertain if the murder is linked to the several shootings reported in the Southern Province in the recent past. 

Lalith Wasantha Mendis, the Vice President of the Galle Cricket Club and the owner of a textile store in Galle, was shot by two armed men on a motorcycle, on Dickson Road, in Galle on Saturday night (Sep 23).

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was shot while returning home after closing up his textile shop, while at least 15 bullets of a T-56 weapon had been used in the shooting. 

The victim had succumbed to injuries on the driving seat of his vehicle, while the suspects are reported to have fled the area following the shooting.

According to Lankadeepa, the Police suspect the murder may be linked to the long-standing dispute between two underworld gang leaders identified as ‘Rathgama Vidura’ and ‘Kosgoda Suji’, who are reportedly operating from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Police stated that several shootings that have been reported in the Southern Province in the recent past are linked to the conflict between the two underworld gangs.

Incidents such as the shooting in May targeting the Deputy Principal of Dharmashoka Vidyalaya in Ambalantota who is a relative of ‘Kosgoda Suji’, the murder of a woman near Seeni Devalaya in August by a former member of the Rathgama Pradeshiya Sabha, the murder of Kosgoda Suji’s uncle outside a residence in Kosgoda in June, and the body that was found in the lagoon behind the Rathgama Crematorium with the hands and feet tied are all related to the conflict between the two underworld gangs, the Police revealed. 

The Police have obtained CCTV footage in the vicinity of the shooting through which they expect to identify the suspects involved in the murder of Lalith Wasantha Mendis. (NewsWire)

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An individual who had sought a ransom of Rs. 1 million from a Colombo businessman has been arrested by the Police Homicide and Organized Crime Investigation Division.

It has been reported that the suspect had sought ransom claiming that he was an associate of notorious criminal figure and drug dealer Nadun Chinthaka Wickremeratne alias ‘Harak Kata’.

The suspect had introduced himself as ‘Bentota Gihan’ to the businessman, the owner of a prominent clothing store in Colombo and a resident of Havelock Town in Colombo.

The Police stated that the suspect had allegedly threatened to murder the businessman’s son if he failed to provide the ransom as requested.

Investigations have revealed that the businessman had previously paid Rs. 100,000 on three separate occasions.

Due to the continuous threats, the businessman filed a complaint with the Police Homicide and Organized Crime Investigation Division.

The Police arrested the suspect and produced him before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court after which he was remanded until August 17, 2023.

Investigations have been launched to ascertain if the suspect, a Dehiwala resident, has any connections to the notorious ‘Harak Kata’. (NewsWire)

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A Sri Lankan Businessman has been arrested on allegations of having sexually molested a female employee of his company at a five-star hotel in Colombo, it was reported.

According to Lankadeepa, the businessman, who is the owner of a European student visa processing company, was arrested by officers of the Police Children & Women Bureau yesterday (July 17). 

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the victim was instructed by the businessman to attend a meeting organized at the five-star hotel.

Upon her arrival at the hotel, the man is said to have attempted to sexually molest her inside the reserved meeting room.

The victim had filed a complaint at the Police Children & Women Bureau against the businessman, after which he was apprehended on suspicion.

The Police stated that the man had claimed that the victim had visited him willingly.

The victim has been hospitalized to undergo a medical examination. The Police Children & Women Bureau is conducting investigations. (NewsWire)

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