News
Monday of misery in crime wave
A brave old man was shot dead, a child was kidnapped and five frightened workers were menaced by armed bandits on just one day this week that also saw a string of other murders and robberies.
Ja Ela: The scene of the crime
The owner of a distributing agency for soft drinks, Ivan Perera, 72, and his wife, both residents of Tudella in Ja-Ela, were on their way on a motorcycle to deposit money when they were confronted by armed men at the Rukmani Devi Junction on Monday morning.
The men, also on a bike, demanded the money at gunpoint but Mr. Perera, a former member of the navy rugby team, refused to be deterred. The police said he had been taking about Rs. 350,000 to the bank. The money was being carried by his wife.
“My husband died because he was trying to protect me. As soon as the man who approached us took the gun out, my husband pushed me behind him. When they asked for the money he refused to give it,” said Elizabeth Perera.
She said that her husband then attempted to hit the gunman. One of the attackers shot him and fled with his two companions.
A witness who wished to remain anonymous for safety said that he saw three motorbikes and two people fighting.
“I thought the motorbike riders were having an argument. Then I saw the owner of the agency. He tried to hit one of the bikers. The others came from behind and shot him,” the witness said.
Mr. Perera was rushed to the ICU of the Ragama Teaching Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. He had been shot in the chest, leg and the right hand. The Ja-Ela police are investigating the killing.
In a separate incident, two armed men walked into a communication centre in Embilipitiya in the early hours of Monday and grabbed of Rs. 1.2 million.
Employees said the men had demanded the money at gunpoint
They locked the five employees inside a bathroom and fled the area in a three-wheeler. The police have taken the suspected vehicle into custody but believes that the number plate was false.
On the same day, a boy aged four-and-a-half years was kidnapped by four men who attacked his parents before taking him away. He was rescued by the CID on Friday.
The child, Damindu Yasen Ekanayake, was at his home in Katugampalagama, Meegalewa when four masked persons forced their way into the house and kidnapped him.
The four abductors arrived on two motorbikes and were armed with knives.
During the attack they slashed at Mr Kumara’s neck and his wife’s leg as the parents tried to prevent them from taking their son.