Friend who stole the necklace while drunk gets caught

A person who allegedly stole a gold chain worth Rs. 520,000 (3 sovereigns) from a friend's neck while the friend was intoxicated during an outing and then pawned it, was hospitalized after consuming a liquid when the police went to arrest him. The suspect claimed he was going to the toilet and then consumed the liquid. After being admitted to Bulathsinhala Hospital, he was transferred to Pimbura Base Hospital for further treatment.

Police launched this investigation based on a complaint made by a resident of Poruwadanda area on the 17th. The complainant had gone on an outing to Pahiyangala area on the 12th with his wife and a group of friends, where the group consumed alcohol near a bathing spot. Afterwards, they went to a relative's house and left for home around 9:00 PM that night in a friend's car.

Someone from that relative's house got into the car to get off in the Bulathsinhala area. The complainant, who was heavily intoxicated, fell asleep in the middle of the back seat of the vehicle. The person nearby got off at Bulathsinhala, and the complaint states that when the complainant woke up the next morning, the gold chain he was wearing was missing.

Police officers investigating the incident inspected private pawn shops in the Bulathsinhala and Ingiriya areas using the suspect's national identity card number. It was revealed that the chain had been pawned at one of these pawn centers for an amount of Rs. 370,000.

Later, during a search conducted by the police at the suspect's house, the relevant pawn receipt was found in his wallet. The suspect admitted his mistake and then, claiming he was going to the toilet, consumed a liquid, after which steps were immediately taken to hospitalize him.

The hospitalized suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Matugama Magistrate's Court, and further investigations are being carried out under the direction of Chief Police Inspector Dilum Thushantha Munasinghe, the Acting OIC of Bulathsinhala Police Station.