Two Suspects Arrested for Extortion in Ambalangoda

COLOMBO (News 1st); Police say that they will seek detention orders for the two army soldiers arrested while attempting to extort money from a prominent textile businessman in Ambalangoda and will continue interrogating them.

The two suspects are scheduled to be produced before the Balapitiya Magistrate’s Court today.

The soldiers had arrived in Ambalangoda town on a motorcycle yesterday morning to extort money from the businessman.

Officers from the Ambalangoda Police Combat Motorcycle Unit, who were on duty, pursued and arrested the two suspects.

Police also seized a hand grenade from the suspects’ possession.

When questioned by police, the two soldiers admitted that they had thrown a grenade at the businessman’s house in an attempt to extort money. The grenade, however, did not explode.

Upon a search of the businessman’s house, police recovered this grenade.

Investigations revealed that the contract for the extortion was given by a Dubai-based drug trafficker, alias Kiria, who promised a payment of Rs. 200,000. Of this, Rs. 26,000 had already been credited to one of the suspect’s accounts.

Police also stated that the two arrested suspects are brothers.