Rs. 5 b diamond stolen from Pannipitiya found

Wednesday, 6 March 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Rs. 5 billion worth diamond believed to have been stolen last year from a house of a gem businessman in Errawwela, Pannipitiya has been found from a house in Panadura, the Police Media Spokesman’s Office said.

The Police Spokesman said the diamond was recovered following a search of the house in Keselwatta, Panadura conducted on the information received from a criminal named Kelum Sampath earlier.

Officers of the Peliyagoda Division criminal investigation unit have arrested the suspect and during a search of his house in Pitigala, the police were able to recover Rs. 15 million in cash.

Police also recovered 126 mobile phones, 647 bullets, a grenade and three sets of handcuffs from two houses belonging to Kelum Indika alias Keluma, the main suspect in the theft of the diamond.

On 5 November 2018, a group clad in police uniforms and civilian clothing had forcibly entered the house of a gem businessman in Erawwala, Pannipitiya and stolen the diamond and several valuable gemstones valued at around Rs. 7 billion after assaulting the owner.

The group is believed to be associates of the underworld leader Makandure Madush, who was arrested in Dubai and in remand now for drugs-related charges.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.