Arrest warrant issued on cobra woman

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

A Colombo court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Nirosha Wimalaratne, who received wide media publicity in recent times as the cobra woman for not being present at court in connection with the alleged possession of a cobra in a room at a Kollupitiya nightclub.

When the case was taken up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya, the suspect was not present in court, leading to the Magistrate issuing an arrest warrant against her.

At a previous magisterial inquiry, the court had issued an order to release the cobra to the suspect on a bond fixed at Rs.50000.

In a complaint to the Kollupitiya police, a security officer attached to the Cleopatra Night Club in Colombo 3 said the woman employee of the night club had kept a cobra with her for two days.

He said he was compelled to lodge the complaint because the other women who were inside the room were frightened by the woman with the cobra.

The Kollupitiya police who investigated the matter arrested the woman on charges of having violated the provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance. Police seized the cobra, and later handed it over to the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens.