Sisters who demanded 10 lakhs in ransom from the businessman

Mahara Chief Magistrate Ms. Lochani Abeywickrama ordered the remand of two sisters from the same family until the 14th of this month, in connection with an incident where death threats were issued and a ransom of 10 lakh rupees was demanded from a businessman in the Kiribathgoda area, acting on the instructions of a member of an organized crime gang detained at Angunakolapelessa Prison. This order was issued last Friday (03), and the two sisters remanded were residents of the Panadura area.

Police Constable Kulasinghe (10789) of the Kiribathgoda Police Case Operations Division, stating facts before the court regarding the incident, said that the criminal in prison had demanded the ransom by verbally abusing and threatening the businessman via mobile phone. Following a complaint made by the businessman to the Kiribathgoda Police Station regarding this matter, investigating officers immediately launched a comprehensive inquiry through phone analysis reports.

During those investigations, it was revealed that the ransom money obtained from the businessman had been credited to the bank account of a woman residing in the Panadura area. Accordingly, the police acted and arrested the woman and her sister who abetted her in this racket. The suspect has admitted during police interrogations that these funds were received into her account through various individuals with the knowledge of "Embilipitiye Ruwan" who is in prison, and that she had taken those funds to post bail for his legal proceedings and to transfer money to other accounts as per his instructions.

According to the police, "Embilipitiye Ruwan," who is connected to this ransom demand, is a registered serious offender and a member of an organized crime gang in the island. He is already remanded in connection with an incident of assaulting Special Task Force officers who were on duty at the Boossa High-Security Prison. Investigations have revealed that on June 30th, the main suspect withdrew five lakh eighty thousand rupees from the relevant bank account and gave four lakh eighty thousand rupees to her sister. The mobile phone used for this purpose and the money have also been taken into police custody, and the Kiribathgoda Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.