1,141 arrested in Western Province within 24-hours

• Pharmaceutical sales executive arrested over drug trafficking  
• Accomplice of Kanjipani Imran arrested with heroin in Biyagama

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

A total of 1,141 persons have been arrested during a special operation conducted within a 24-hour period in the Western Province.  

Police said 477 persons issued with warrants for their arrest, 465 wanted on corruption charges and 98 involved in crimes, were among those arrested on Sunday.  
Nearly 1,500 police officers attached to 114 Police stations were involved in the operation carried out on the instructions of the Western Province Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon.  
Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical sales executive has been arrested in Beruwala yesterday by the Kalutara Divisional Crime Investigation Unit for engaging in a drug trafficking racket by misusing his license to distribute drugs.  
It was reported that the suspect had been selling drugs to drug addicted youth and students in Aluthgama, Beruwala, Kalutara and Matugama areas and to brokers in drug trafficking networks.  

The arrested suspect was to be produced in courts.  

In another raid in Jaffna, the police have arrested five suspects with 67.5 grams of heroin at Kokuvil and Ilavali.  
The arrested suspects aged between 21 and 38 were identified as residents of Kokuvil, Kopai and Ottumadam.  Meanwhile an accomplice of underworld gangster ‘Kanjipani Imran’, had been arrested by the Biyagama Police at Peragas Junction on Sunday.   Police said the 33-year-old suspect was in possession of 5.7 grams of heroin when the arrest was made.