An individual involved in organized cattle theft, deploying others, was arrested in Welimada.

Welimada Magistrate R.A.C.P. Amaratunga ordered that a beef seller from the Bandarawela area, suspected of aiding a racket involving the theft of dairy cattle at night from Welimada and Keppetipola areas and selling them for meat, be remanded until the upcoming 21st.

Investigations have revealed that these thefts were orchestrated in an organized manner by contacting cattle thieves from outside areas.

Two individuals residing at Norris Road, Galle, and Kumaratunga Mawatha, Matara, who are suspected of being directly involved in these thefts, have also been arrested previously and are currently remanded under court orders. Investigations have commenced based on complaints made by local cattle breeders to Bandarawela Senior Superintendent of Police Mayura Perera regarding these cattle thefts occurring at night for about two months.

For investigation purposes, 130 CCTV camera footage installed along the roads from Keppetipola through Welimada town to Bandarawela and Ella, as well as GPS phone technology, have been used. It was revealed that the suspects abducted these cattle using two vans and sold them for a low price to the butcher shop owner in Bandarawela.

Keppetipola Police Station OIC, Police Inspector J.M. Thusitha Kumara, stating facts before the court, mentioned that the main suspect, the butcher, provided accommodation in the Bandarawela area to thieves coming from other provinces and arranged for the stolen cattle to be slaughtered for meat. Welimada Police Station OIC, Chief Police Inspector Prasanna de Silva, also appeared on behalf of the complainant party for this case, and since further investigations into the incident have not been completed, the Magistrate took steps to remand the suspect.