Three arrested over major land grabbing racket in Marawila

• land had been sold at Rs.2Mn

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

Three suspects, including the mastermind, wanted over a major land grab racket that had been taking place for a long time in Chilaw, Marawila and Mundalama areas had been arrested by police yesterday. 

Chilaw Special Crimes Investigation Unit officers yesterday.  

The Police said that the main suspect, who had used a forged ID and a title deed had been arrested in Buthgampala in Dankotuwa, while the mastermind had been arrested in Morukkuliya in Dankotuwa, while he was with a woman.   

A broker involved in the racket had also been arrested in Marawila and they were to be produced before Marawila Magistrate yesterday.   

Chilaw Special Crimes Investigation Unit started the investigation following a complaint by Anura Lakshman of Angunawila in Mundalama in July.   

The complainant has said that a woman had forcibly entered his land in Marawila claiming that the land had been sold to her by an individual.  Later it was found that a forged title deed had been made and a fake identity card had been created for the land transaction. The land had been sold at Rs. two million.   

The Police said that investigations had revealed that the main suspect and a broker who are residents of Buthgampola and Marawila were wanted by the police over several other similar land frauds in the Puttalam District as well.  The suspects have been allegedly carrying out the racket using fraudulent documents. They have created land title deeds using details of the real landowners and then registered the blocks under their names.   
The Police said the suspects, aged between 55 and 49 were residing in various addresses and that they were arrested after analysing their telephone records.   

 The operation was carried out by Police Sergeant Sunil (51647) and Police Constable Sudarshana (66723) under the directions of OIC of the Chilaw Special Crimes Investigation Unit CI Pushpakumara.