Two suspects have been arrested over the theft of construction equipment worth approximately Rs. 1.2 million from a partly built house in the Tekkawatta area of Kamburugoda, police said.
The materials had been brought to a two-storey house that was under construction. According to police, the stolen items included window and door frames, bathroom fittings and handrails.
The suspects allegedly entered the unfinished building, removed the equipment and carried the items to their own homes. Some of the stolen goods were later recovered after the suspects had sold them on at low prices, police said.
Both men are residents of the same area as the building site. They are due to be produced before the Panadura Magistrate’s Court.
Bandaragama Police are conducting further investigations into the theft.
Police have not named the suspects or given their ages, and have not said when the theft took place or when the arrests were made. It is also unclear what proportion of the Rs. 1.2 million worth of material has been recovered, or whether the buyers of the resold goods are being investigated.
Fittings and fixtures stockpiled at unfinished building sites are a recurring target for opportunistic theft, particularly where materials are delivered ahead of installation and left without overnight security.
Kamburugoda lies in the Bandaragama area of the Kalutara District, in the Western Province.
As of Sunday afternoon, no other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had published its own report on the arrests; Hiru, Daily Mirror and NewsFirst listings carried no matching item at that point.
