Man with foreign-made pistol and ammunition among suspects arrested at police road blocks

A suspect with a foreign-made pistol and ammunition was among four individuals arrested at police road blocks in different parts of the island yesterday. 

In the first incident, police officers and Special Task Force (STF) personnel manning a road block in Digana, Theldeniya had stopped and searched a jeep, whereupon they found a foreign-made pistol along with10 live rounds of 9mm ammunition and two magazines in the possession of a person inside.

The suspect was arrested by the STF along with the driver of the jeep. They have been handed over to the Theldeniya Police for further investigations. The suspect arrested with the weapon and ammunition is a resident of Thihariya, Kalagedihena, while the driver is a resident of Pallewela, police added. 

Meanwhile at a road block in Mannar, a 20-year-old suspect was taken into custody for using two National Identity Cards (NICs) under two different numbers and names. 

In Kopai, another 20-year-old individual was arrested while traveling in a motorbike bearing fake police identification. The suspect had allegedly tried to make his motorbike look like one used by the police using the fake identification markings. 

Police Spokesman Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Ajith Rohana said that the arrests show that certain individuals were engaged in various crimes while also violating quarantine laws. He noted that road blocks have been set up all over the country to ensure that quarantine laws are respected, and said such criminal elements were also being arrested at these road blocks.