Mistaken salute costs millions

By Chris Kamalenran

In a sort of comedy of errors and terrors, a police constable saluted an armed robber who was dressed in police uniform — mistakenly thinking he was a senior officer carrying out a search operation in a jewellery cum money changer’s shop in Wellawatte.

The constable did not know he was allowing this robber and his gang to escape with Rs. 20 million in local and foreign currency – one of the biggest robberies in recent times. According to reports, the gang leader dressed in a police inspector’s uniform and six others had come to the shop near the Galle road and told the staff they wanted to search the premises.

Two gang members remained in the van while the main suspect – the bogus inspector with a pistol in his pouch – summoned the staff and inspected the safes and documents. The bogus inspector then ordered the staff to get back to their seats while he collected the money from the lockers and put them into bags.

A bystander alerted a Wellawatte police constable who was passing by. But as he entered the shop, he saw the person whom he presumed to be an inspector. The horror or errors followed. The constable saluted the gang leader and went away after he was told they were carrying out a search operation.

The gang then came out of the shop and headed for the van when an employee suspected it was robbery and not a police search. He grabbed one of the suspects, but he was fired upon by the others and was injured in both his legs. The Wellawatte police station was then alerted and a jeep rushed to the shop but it was too late.

Wellawatter Chief Inspector Mangala Dehigama said it was a tragedy of mistaken identity and the police constable believed he was saluting a senior officer. Police have obtained the number of the robbers’ van and a vehicle bearing a similar number has been detected at Embilipiitya. Police are trying to ascertain whether it was the same vehicle or whether number plates were changed.