Suspected treasure hunters caught inside wildlife park

Three suspects, including a junior Wildlife Officer have been taken into custody for allegedly engaging in treasure hunting inside the Lunugamvehera National Park. 

Officers from the Lunugamvehera Office of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) launched a special operation this morning (24) to arrest poachers who were hunting animals inside the park during the drought season. They had spotted a jeep whose occupants were behaving suspiciously and attempted to inspect it. However, the jeep had driven away from the officers and exited the park.

Wildlife officers had given chase and fired on the tyres of the vehicle. With one of its tyres blown out by gunfire, the vehicle had come to a stop. Of the five occupants inside the vehicle, two had escaped while three others were captured and arrested. 

The DWC officers said one of the arrested suspects was a teacher at a popular school in Matara while another was a junior officer attached to the DWC. The other was a resident of Tissamaharama. 

Officers found another van used by the suspects, along with pooja equipment, food, water, cooking utensils, gas cylinders, digging tools and other equipment the suspects had brought with them for treasure hunting. 

The arrested suspects are due to be produced before the Lunugamvehera Magistrate. 

Text and Pix by Rahul Samantha Hettiarahchi in Hambantota 

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