Kurunegala SI dies from gunfire in operations to apprehend vehicle thieves!

The 119 Emergency phone was alerted around 10 in the night day-before-yesterday that a group who had robbed a vehicle were hiding at a hotel known as Paradise in Maspotha, Kurunegala and on operations launched by a team of police officers from Kurunegala the robbers had tried to beat a retreat in which instance during the exchange of fire a sub inspector had died as a result of shooting. 

The said incident had occured when a team of police officers
who were engaged in patrol were asked by the police to make an investigation about these suspects. As such, Sub Inspector Mr. Dassanayaka and other police officers had arrived at Paradise Hotel and after having woken up 2 individuals sleeping in a room there had made some inquiries. The police officers who inspected the relevant documents in connection with the motor vehicle in which they had come however were not satisfied with them and had proceeded to remove the vehicle to the police station. On that occasion one suspect who was there had fled in the darkness while the other person also had tried to beat a retreat. At that moment when the police officers had made an attempt to get hold of that person he had shot them with a pistol he was hiding round his waist. From this gunfire the sub inspector had succumbed on the spot while the other 2 police officers were admitted to hospital with serious injuries. 

One member of the gang who was involved in the shooting had tried to make a getaway by getting into a bus when he was apprehended by the police early last morning close to Kurunegala Wewa. The other assailant who was involved in the shooting had fled taking the pistol with him but it was not possible to track him until last evening. Later investigations revealed that this gang is involved in several cases of robbing vehicles and other crimes. It is one Mr. Ratna Banda Dassanayaka aged 59 years who had died as a result of the shooting done by the marauder. Mr. Dassanayaka who was a resident in Maduragala, Kurunegala was expected to go on retirement in January next year from police service.

Sergeant (58677) Bandara and Constable cum Driver (89743) Subasingha are presently undergoing treatment at Kurunegala General Hospital. Mr. Sunbasingha who was subjected to gunfire in this shooting incident had sustained serious injuries to his kidneys and is being treated at the intensive care unit in a serious condition. At the time of shooting there had been 4 police officers including Sub-inspector Dassanayaka and all of then were armed with weapons. However because of having to face an unanticipated array of gunshots the officers were not in a position to counter attack the assailants. 

The motor vehicle which brought the gang to Maspotha, Paradise Hotel was taken into police custody and it later came to be known that the said vehicle had been despoiled from a firm providing vehicles on rent. The plunderers had rented out the vehicle on a rent basis of Rs. 1 lakh 20,000 per month. Later they had refrained from settling the payment and had made use of it for themselves, police say. Since owners of the firm renting the vehicle had fixed a GPS machine in the vehicle concerned, it was through such a facility that they had been able to locate the vehicle as to where it was. 

When inspecting the room in Paradise Hotel, a pistol of foreign make, a stock of ammunition and 2 travelling bags were found. When checking the motor vehicle, 16 mobile phones, a woman's bag, a stock of ammunition and 4 duplicate vehicle number-plates were recovered.The identity of the suspect who is responsible for the shooting and had made good his escape from the grasp of the police officers has been found to be one Matara Thushara. Investigations are underway to nab him.

Information -- Hemantha Randunu and R.M.W. Bandara