An investigation has been initiated regarding a complaint received by the Keselwatte Police in connection with a group of police officers including a sub-inspector who raided a place
selling illegally imported cigarettes and looted an amount of Rs.221,500 out of Rs.270,000 found there.
This complaint had been made to the police by a resident of Colombo 10 on Saturday.
He had told the Keselwatte police that he has a Cool Spot in Keselwatte. He has also complained to the police that counterfeit cigarettes are sold to those who come to the shop at their request.
On March 9 at around 11.10 pm, when his brother and the manager were at the shop, a team of the Kirulapona police arrived in a jeep and a three-wheeler and taken Rs.270,000 in cash and 13 packets of foreign cigarettes from the shop. This was mentioned in the complaint made to the police. According to the complaint lodged, then the store manager, had been taken into custody by the police officers and taken him to the garden area near the shop and beaten him up and took him with them to the Kirulapana police station.
There, out of the Rs.270,000 seized by the police officers, only Rs.48,500 had been handed over to the Kirulapana Police Station as mentioned in his complaint.
The complainant businessman has said that the Kirulapana Police produced his manager in court for illegally selling illegally imported cigarettes and released him on bail. He also said that after being granted bail, the police officers gave only Rs.46,500 from the money taken from the business place. He has said
further in his complaint that the remaining amount of Rs.221,500 was not given back.
The Keselwatte Police stated that an investigation is being conducted in this regard.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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