Warakapola robbery inquiry

7 January 2011 07:10 pm

By Gandhya Senanayake

The JVP today called for an independent inquiry into the Warakapola robbery incident which occurred last month which ended in all seven suspects being shot during confrontations. The JVP called for the inquiry after reportedly a video emerged showing several robbers who had fled being handed over to the police by villagers in the area after being captured by them.

 It was reported that all seven suspects were killed during confrontations with the police during search operations after they fled into the Mirigama and Abepussa forests.

“The video evidently shows that two of the suspects being captured by villagers in the area and handed over to the police, although the police claim that all suspects died during confrontations with them”, JVP MP Vijitha Herath told Daily Mirror online

He added that the suspects had committed a crime and should have been dealt according to the law of the country and not arbitrarily. "The villagers are upset regarding claims that they died during confrontations with the police", JVP MP Herath said.

Two police officers were killed and two others were critically injured when a gang of robbers fired at a police vehicle chasing after them in Abepussa after the police were informed of a robbery of a pawn shop in Warakapola.

The robbers later abandoned the vehicle and fled into the Abepussa forest. Thereafter search operations with the assistance of the military commenced and it was reported that all seven suspects were killed during confrontations with the police during the next two days when they tried to arrest and apprehend the suspects.

When contacted, Police spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody told Daily Mirror online that a Magisterial inquiry had already being conducted into the incident and that a Court decision had also been given.  (Daily Mirror online)