September 03, Colombo (LNW): Police in Kalutara have detained a 30-year-old man, known by the nickname “Bombuwala Sudda”, over allegations that he stole motorcycles and supplied them to criminal groups for use in drug-related and other illegal activities.
The investigation began after police received a complaint about a motorcycle that had reportedly been taken from near a business premises in the Nagoda Junction area, which falls under the Kalutara South Police Division.
Investigators examined CCTV recordings from the vicinity and were able to identify a man believed to be involved in the theft. Officers attached to the Kalutara District Crime Division later located and arrested the suspect in Bombuwala while he was allegedly travelling on the stolen motorcycle.
Police said the vehicle had been fitted with stickers covering parts of its number plate, apparently in an attempt to disguise or alter its registered identification.
Further inquiries have reportedly linked the suspect to a number of motorcycle thefts investigated by police divisions in Ingiriya, Ratnapura and Kiriella.
According to investigators, the stolen motorcycles may have been handed over to underworld figures and subsequently used in drug distribution and other criminal operations.
The suspect is expected to be presented before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court, while officers from the Kalutara District Crime Division continue investigations into the alleged thefts and the wider network believed to be involved.