Gold chain horror: Police proud of verdict

By Gamini Mahadura in Galle.

Last week’s Galle High Court ruling to hand down the death sentence to two men who snatched a gold chain of a young woman and left her to die during the tsunami, has been welcomed by her mother as well as Police inspector Sarath Mendis who investigated this shocking crime.

The death sentence was handed down by Galle High Court Judge Chandrasena Rajapaksa after the Police successfully led evidence in the case which gained national prominence with pictures of two men committing the crime published in the ‘Lankadeepa’ of January 17,2005.

The police officer said he had initiated the investigations after seeing the photographs published in the newspaper.

“I observed a few photographs published in the ‘Lankadeepa’ and I easily identified one of the suspects who was involved in the crime as he had been involved in several more cases earlier,” he said.

He said thereafter police arrested the suspect - Nuwan Kumara – and took into custody a part of the snatched chain and also the clothes that Kumara was wearing at the time of the crime.

He said he later arrested the second suspect Ajith Silva with the clothes he was wearing while he was committing the horrendous act.

“What is special in this case is that the suspects were apprehended by us without getting any complaint”, the police officer said.

Meanwhile the two accused who were sentenced to death have decided to appeal against the verdict, lawyers who appeared on behalf of them said.