News in Brief............

Kandy and Kegalle Police are searching for a young man who had allegedly robbed three gold chains worth around Rs. 150,000 from a jewellery store at Kotugodelle Veediya in Kandy last week after threatening to explode a hand grenade.

The woman accomplice, identified as the man’s wife, was produced before Kandy Chief Magistrate Harsha Setunge and remanded.

During the course of investigations, Kandy Police Chief Inspector Dehigama had found that this absconding suspect had to pay a fine of Rs. 175,000 to the Kegalle Courts for illicit brewing of Kassippu and had already paid part of the money.

But, since he had no other money the duo had allegedly tried to rob the jewellery store and pay the fine at the Kegalle Courts.
The suspects could only steal three gold chains.

Kandy Coroner and Attorney-at-Law M. Piyatilleke said that monkeys were a menace in Kandy, but they were also an endangered species.

Yet some action should be taken by veterinarians to curb them coming into the city and devastating property and life.

The Coroner made these remarks at the inquest into the death of 51-year-old R. Premachandra, a telecommunication technician who died after a fall from a ladder while he was repairing a telephone wire at Wattegama. He was disturbed by a monkey.According to evidence of a SLT Officer H.M.H. Herath Banda, the deceased had finished his work and had removed his rope at the top of his ladder when a monkey jumped on to the wire above the deceased.

The victim had lost his balance and had fallen off the ladder.

The victim’s wife Tamara Wedagedera gave evidence before the Coroner and said that he was the father of three children. The AJMO in his report stated that death was due to cervical injury from a fall.

A driver from Kegalle who had driven many vehicles for a long period sans a driving licence, was nabbed by a police team from Kandy.

The man was apprehended when his truck was stopped at a police checkpoint in Kegalle and a bogus licence found in his possession.
He said that it was issued by a person from Kegalle.

The suspect, S. Mohamad aged 30, was referred to the Special Unit at Kandy Police Headquarters for further investigations. Investigations are led by Central Province DIG Nimal Mediwaka.