Cinnamon Gardens police caught two police sergeants attached to the security of former Interior Minister John Amaratunga on Friday morning along with another police constable and two civilians when they were allegedly attempting to extort Rs.10,000,000 from a wealthy Nugegoda businessman near the Vihara Maha Devi park.
The modus operandi of the team had been to send the two civilians from Ragala and Gampola as brokers to prospective wealthy victims offering them information about fabulous hidden treasures in return for cash.
Once a gullible businessman comes with the money he is robbed by the gang led by two sergeants and the constable attached to Wattala police. Thereafter victims are scared to go to police as they themselves had gone after something illegal.
OIC Cinnamon Gardens Police K.A. Jayashantha who led the police team that nabbed the five suspects said the robber team had earlier successfully robbed three others in a similar manner at Wellampitiya, Wellawatte, and Peradeniya, each job netting them Rs. 5,000,000. Based on the success of the earlier operations they had raised the stake to Rs.10,000,000 in the latest heist. But police suspect that there could be more victims of this gang.
The suspects were produced before Colombo magistrate court No.11 on Saturday and remanded till November 05 pending an identification parade
