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Kalutara Police sleuths crack code, nab supermarket robbers
Police team led by SI Wickremaarachchi recovered these goods robbed from super markets in Kalutara
Kalutara (North) Police officers this week cracked the code of the gang allegedly involved in a series of robberies of supermarkets.
Police were on the alert for a group for allegedly robbing a Sathosa outlet in the Kalutara (North) area of some Rs 700,000 worth of goods including milk food packets.
“Scrutiny of CCTV footage obtained from houses and business establishments in the area revealed that a van and a three-wheeler had passed the location around 2 am, on the day of the robbery,” said Officer-in-Charge- Crime Division, Kalutara (North) Police, Sub Inspector (SI) W.A.D. Wickremaarachchi.
However, the number plate was not clear in the CCTV footage, but on suspicion, police traced the vehicle to a rent-a-car service in Matara.
The vehicle had been hired for a day for Rs 3,500, by a person claiming to be from Udapussellawa.
Following further investigations at the rent-a-car location, police traced one of the suspects to a location outside the Welipenna expressway exit point.
“Our investigations revealed that the suspect was on his way to another robbery in the Welipenna area, and was in the process of rounding up more men for the operation. We found out he was using coded language to contact his suspects,” SI Wickremaarachchi said.
“We used the same language and managed to get down four other suspects,” he said.
The SI explained that among the coded words used were ‘Machang Vasida?’ which meant ‘Are you in Police custody?’ and if the response was ‘yes’, the caller immediately went into hiding.
Usually, robbers are aware that, if police nab one of their members, they usually make use of him to apprehend the rest. Hence, to avoid detection, robber gangs have devised codes.
“It is because we identified they were using codes, we were able to arrest four of those connected with the robbery.”
The gang confessed to robbing some four other shops in Kalutara, while also being involved in other robberies of supermarkets and wholesale establishments.
Most of the stolen items were sold to a person who worked in a shop in Mahabage who, in turn, had buyers for the products.
The suspects who have been identified as residents of Bogawantalawa, Ragama, Matugama and Pussellawa, planned most of their robberies at Galle Face Green.
The suspects have been remanded until October 10.