Gampaha robbers' oil story

Gampaha robbers who came to rob from safes ....had chanted 'mantara' and applied oil

     Suspects of the Gampaha Finance Company whose CCTV photos were published were cordoned within a period of 24 hours and when investigations were being conducted, further information revealed how they had sought the aid of 'mantara gurukam' to commit these grand robbery successfully.

    The robbers who had come with the intention of robbing a sum of Rs. 180 lakhs and gold articles from Gampaha Merchant Credit Company had planned the robbery well in advance because of the faith they had pinned on 'yanthra-manthra'. All members of the gang had applied a kind of chanted oil which is supposed to keep their fears away and also protect them from getting caught to police and had thus launched their robbery, it is revealed.

    Kumara Ramanayaka, a resident of Habaraduwa, now identified as the leader of the robber gang, it is revealed, had applied the oil on the heads of all the rest of the members of the gang.

   Application of the oil had taken place somewhere down New Road, Minuwangoda, Gampaha. Whatever it is, the police managed to expose all information after arresting a member of the gang within 24 hours; thus proving the inefficacy of the chanting of the oil.

  Kumara Ramanayaka had been in jail for a number of robberies and had been released on bail about 2 months prior to this. He had received the support of one Sudath Silva who is presently serving a jail sentence and because he is still in jail, police hope to extract further relevant information by contacting him in prison.

  It is reported that the monies robbed and the gold items had been divided into 11 parts and Kumar Ramanayaka the gang leader had obtained a further portion from the deal saying that it is for the person in jail and the person who supplied the weapons.

  Police were able to recover Rs.18 lakhs worth of cash and gold items day-before-yesterday, buried in the compound where the Samurdhi officer alias 'Karate Saman' of Neluwa PC secretariat was living and who happened to be the first to be taken into custody in relation to this robbery, according to the information he had given after being interrogated.

  Among the articles so recovered were 17 gold necklaces, 6 gold bangles, 8 gold rings, 3 gold 'panchayuda's, 3 gold bracelets, 9 gold ear-rings and 19 cash notes to the value of Rs. 10 each.

  After the Samurdhi officer was arrested, the driver and the van in which he came from Neluwa to Colombo were taken into custody. However, there is no evidence so far available to confirm that this Samurdhi officer has been connected to this robbery. It was reported that members of the gang had met each other in Gampaha town while the Samurdhi officer of Neluwa had met the gang members at the Gampaha General Hospital.

  It was also reported that the gang had travelled to Minuwangoda via Udugampola after the robbery and from there had proceeded to the car park at Naikanda in Katunayaka where they had spent a short while . Subsequently, it is understood that they had gone to Negombo beach and had weighed the gold articles on a scale bought on the way and distributed it after sharing it into 11 parts. Having shared the money, they had travelled towards Wennappuwa and from there had reached Kandy road through by-roads. From Kandy they had proceeded to Kegalle and travelled to Avissawella. It is revealed that on this journey, each suspect had got off at various points. It has not been possible to arrest the police officer who has been interdicted as being connected to this gang, nor any other person. Further investigations are proceeding.
Source narration -- Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

All photos taken in relation to the robbery from CCTV video, from here