Didn't Ishana spice businessman 'Deshakeerthi' Yoosuf Ibrahim know till sons and daughters in law ... explode bombs and die?

Didn't  Ishana spice businessman 'Deshakeerthi' Yoosuf Ibrahim know till sons and daughters in law ... explode bombs and die?

Responsibility of three bombs which were exploded was the result of members of a family living in Dematagoda last 21st in the series of suicide bomb attacks and that was two sons and a daughter in law of spice businessman Yoosuf Ibrahim. 

Spice businessman Yoosuf Ibrahim who was subjected to the 'Deshakeerthi' award received by him from state leaders as the person who brought the highest income to Sri Lanka by exporting minor crops abroad ... recently being engaged in an anti-nationalistic activity such as this is indeed
surprising. The spice business of the Ibrahim family is popular as "Ishana Spice Exporters". He engages in exporting spices to major countries such as Pakistan, India, Dubai and America. He also used to buy types of spices such as pepper, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, arecanut and gamboje from various parts of Sri Lanka and export them. In most instances he would secure them from middlemen in areas such as Kandy, Matale in the case of purchase of those items. This business of theirs developed for a period spanning 33 years from 1986 and by now a resolute connection has been developed with Sinhala hamlets by now. Villagers who pluck the pepper and nutmeg used to avoid the Sinhala mudalali and await arrival of the thambi mudalali.

Ishana mudalali who loads a big number of spices containers for a month had etched his name as an award-winning businessman in the international arena too and claimed the International Star Award in Geneva, Switzerland in 2002. He even was successful in winning the 'Deshakeerthi' Award in 2005 which he accepted from the hands of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the year 2006 he clinched the Indian Excellency award at New Delhi. He in fact was the biggest exporter of spices in Sri Lanka till 2006. He even claimed the President's Export Award in 2008. 

This family who lived in Kandy at the start migrated to Colombo when they were a top level in business, it is said. His main selling outlet was situated along Moor Lane in Colombo 12. This mudalali was a father of 11 children. His intention was the 8 sons and 3 daughters would build separate houses near his home. For this purpose he bought a large land down Mahavila Gardens Road and what he built there was not simply a house but a luxury housing complex. The children's houses were situated adjoining the 'mahagedera'. 

An interview with him in relation to a discussion conducted several years connected to Ibrahim's spice business was published in a weekend newspaper. What the author of that article said was that there are bundles of Rs. five thousand notes inside Ibrahim mudalali's drawer. It was reported that those bundles were separated into 5 million bundles and labeled. On that occasion he was identified as Ibrahim mudalali was someone who dealt only with ready cash. In fact he was a traditional businessman who engaged less by cheques. It was mentioned that he was a person who used to do what he decided at that very moment. 

Whether Ibrahim was a JVP activist or ISIS activist is not clear. However, it was mentioned there that he was someone who was not backward in spending with a long arm on behalf of his opinion. When the newspaper correspondent met Ibrahim, what he has asked was what is happening in the country. In response what he had said was that he certainly used to read the newspaper 'Visiwelli', a newspaper of Muslim nationals. It was said that he was in touch with politics with great interest.That he was a person who was in the JVP list was reported sometime back. 

Ibrahim has started life from his sleeping-mat, so to say. His first vocation had been as a broker who introduced to importers the farmers who used to come from far off places to sell pepper, cinnamon, gamboje and dried arecanut. He who began from there, later proceeded to Handy to buy spices and has thus operated as a middleman. Later on he came to be known by everybody in Pettah bazaar as number one pepper exporter in Sri Lanka. 

The office of Ibrahim down Old Moor Street was constantly packed with dry rations for two or three thousand. It was a long building and the place for eating was at a corner of the building. When questioned as for what purpose such a large quantity of food was available, what he said was it to be distributed for poor people who come to the mosque on Fridays. 'Ibrahim Haddjiar' has distributed dry rations to the value of ten lakhs to victims on the occasion when Samasara mountain experienced a landslide. 

Ibrahim the businessman who understood the sorrow of others being linked to some activity like this where two or three hundreds would be killed is in on way something that brings surprise. This person who as an exporter of Sri Lanka and even dazzled the name of Sri Lanka in other countries launching an attack on hotels in a manner that the international image of Sri Lanka is destroyed is indeed a matter of surprise. 

On the day the incident of bombing was reported, Ibrahim's youngest son Ilham has got together with Zaharan and exploded the bombs while the eldest son copper businessman Inshaf had exploded the suicide bomb at Cinnamon Grand Hotel. On information received across Ilham's national identity card, the first suspicion sprang up about the Dematagoda house and on inspection of that house a pregnant daughter in law of Ibrahim had come with the children exploded the bomb near the door to the entrance to the house. Ibrahim and children who lived in this house were later taken into custody. 

While all this was taking place he had known about this as revealed in investigations being carried on now. Before this attack Ibrahim has transferred all property before this attack. Assets of 450 lakhs of a company in Wellampitiya was transferred by gift deed to four of the children who died. He has transferred property to the value of 100 lakhs to his brother. It is now revealed that he has transferred a land in Matale amounting to 110 lakhs to a private company and a land valued at 500 lakhs. 

When a problematic situation cropped up sometime back about Buddha statues in Mawanella were broken down, Ibrahim has told a newspaper, "The incident in Mawanella created an impact on Colombo businesses in a minor way. If my son made a blunder ... what is wrong is wrong. We as businessmen do not think as Muslims ... but with a feeling of being Sri Lankans. All of who are big businessmen are not millionaires by birth. Whoever it is achieved that state with effort and suffering. There's no racialism in it. In wholesale market, there are enough of great Sinhala, Tamil businessmen. Some people are not on good terms because politicians sow seeds of racialism in order to retain power. 

Now see ... who is it who donated the biggest building to Maharagama Cancer Hospital ... one of our people. It was one of our people who took the lead in bringing the PET scanner. We are not racialists. To give all this they earned money from businesses. With that money we serve the common people".