An employee of Hambantota International Port and a businessman from Kurunegala have been remanded over an alleged racket in the theft and resale of smart keys taken from vehicles imported through the port, the Daily Mirror reported.
The two were produced before the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court on Friday 11 September and remanded until 22 September, Hambantota Port Police said.
How the inquiry moved
The case began with an internal investigation by the Hambantota Port Security Department into smart keys going missing from imported vehicles. Suspicion fell on a port employee, who was detained by port security officers and handed to Hambantota Port Police for questioning.
Work by the Crime Investigation Bureau, directed by the Hambantota Port Police OIC, and information from the employee then led investigators to a businessman in the Kurunegala area, who allegedly bought the stolen keys. He was arrested there and has allegedly admitted the purchases. Police recovered several keys in his possession.
The numbers police give
Investigators say roughly 45 smart keys were sold over several months, and that the employee earned more than Rs. 1.5 million from the transactions. Prices started at around Rs. 6,000 a key, police said, varying by vehicle model.
Those two figures only reconcile at the upper end of the range. Rs. 1.5 million spread across 45 keys averages about Rs. 33,000 each — roughly five times the quoted starting price — which implies most of the keys came from higher-value models rather than the cheapest. Police did not break the sales down by model, say what the keys were bought for, or state whether any vehicle was subsequently stolen or tampered with.
A racket police say may be as old as the import stream
Preliminary investigations indicate the operation may have been running since domestic vehicle imports through Hambantota International Port began, police said. That places its possible start alongside the resumption of vehicle imports in 2025, after the restrictions imposed in 2020.
The port holds imported stock on a very large scale. Hambantota International Port Group said in July that more than 50,000 vehicles were sitting in its yards, covering both transhipment cargo and local imports, with about 1,278 there for over three months. Against that volume, 45 keys is a small sample of a yard holding tens of thousands of vehicles — which is part of why police say the full extent is not yet established.
Further investigations are under way to determine the scale of the alleged racket and identify anyone else involved. A Hambantota Port Security Department official said a special programme is being implemented to strengthen detection and prevention of thefts inside the port.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror does not name either suspect, give the charges or the statute under which they were filed, say how the keys were removed from the vehicles, or report what the Kurunegala businessman intended to do with them. It does not say whether the importers or owners of the affected vehicles have been notified, or whether Hambantota International Port Group has commented. Ada Derana carried its own report on the arrests, but its site returned a CloudFront 403 and could not be cited.
