POLICE STF BUSTS ILLEGAL VEHICLE RACKET AT PANNIPITIYA

Raids Illegal Spare Parts vehicle assembling garage

The Police STF was able to successfully raid by locating a large scale fictitious luxury vehicle assembling garage which had been in operation for 16 years, located at No 487/19 Makandura,  Pannipitiya.
The racket of importing motor spare parts by paying nominal import duty and then had assembled luxury vehicles to look like brand new vehicles. They have been in the practice of deploying engine and chassis numbers of vehicles brought via permits and those of auctioned government vehicles. The numbers of vehicles are taken from the RMV through illegal channels. The fully assembled vehicles are then sold at prices slightly below the market values.
Six workers attached to this factory had been arrested by the Police STF when they raided the place and had obtained all these details. The owner is a millionaire businessman who had carried this business very without arousing suspicion. Although there had been some suspicion it was not investigated all these years.
At the time of the raid there were 19 assembled vehicles ready for sale. One was a white coloured ‘Allion’ motor car valued at Rs 5,1/2 million, a red Pajero, Nissan cab, a small jeep, a black Nissan Sunny car, a Honda motorcycle, a Mazda mini lorry. There were in addition 6 half assembled jeeps, it was reported by the Police STF personnel.
In addition there had been oxygen tanks, Welding plants, polishing machines etc. in this vehicle assembling factory.