Six arrested over Padduka pawn centre robbery
By Premalal Wijeratna- March 1, 2014 
 
The Mirihana Special Crime Investigation Unit yesterday arrested six suspects, including two disabled soldiers, in connection with the 12 February robbery of gold jewellery, valued at Rs 10 million, from a pawning centre in Padduka.
According to a high ranking police officer, in charge of the investigation, the revolver used to carry out the heist as well as 1,870 gms of stolen gold jewellery has been recovered from the possession of one suspect.
 
The suspects, who had arrived on two motorcycles, had executed the heist and immediately fled the scene.
Police state that the heist had been masterminded by the father of a female employee of the pawning centre. That individual is said to be an experienced burglar residing in Padaviya.
 
The suspect, who had often taken lunch to his daughter, had observed the manner in which the jewellery was being placed in the vault of the pawning centre. He had thereafter gained knowledge that the CCTV camera at the centre was dysfunctional.
 
However, at the time of the heist, the CCTV camera had been replaced and the suspects had been unaware that it was capturing footage of the pawning centre.
 
Subsequently, police were able to apprehend the suspects using the footage recorded on the device.
Police had ferreted out the suspects while they had been hiding at a boarding house in Peradeniya. Part of the stolen jewellery has been pawned by the suspects. Further investigations into the incident are underway.