Two suspects have been arrested by the Kalutara Crimes Division over the abduction and robbery of a resort owner in Beruwala, in what police describe as a dispute over money the businessman owed, Hiru News reported.
The arrests were made on Saturday (19) at Maggona, where both suspects live.
How police say it happened
The two had taken accommodation at the business premises as paying guests two days before the incident, according to police.
They then threatened the businessman, forced him into a three-wheeler and drove him to an area near the Maggona public playground. There they demanded money they said he owed. When he refused, they threatened him and took his gold bracelets and rings, three mobile phones, his wallet and cash, and his bank cards.
The suspects then made the victim telephone his wife and arrange for someone to collect his motorcycle from his home — adding the vehicle to what was taken.
Both men then disappeared from the area for several days before Kalutara Crimes Division officers traced and arrested them at Maggona.
Police have recovered the gold jewellery, the bank cards, the wallets and the motorcycle. The investigation began on a complaint made by the businessman’s wife to Beruwala Police, and the suspects are to be produced before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court.
The detail that stands out
The suspects checked in as guests at the victim’s own property two days before abducting him.
That is not an opportunistic street robbery. It indicates the two knew who they were targeting and where to find him, and used a paying stay to establish access. Police attribute the whole episode to a debt one of the two suspects says the businessman owed — which, if correct, means the parties were known to each other and the accommodation booking was a means of approach rather than a coincidence.
The victim was released rather than held for ransom, and the demand was for repayment of an existing debt, not for a new sum. On the police account this is a debt-collection assault that escalated into abduction and robbery, rather than a kidnapping for ransom.
Not reported
Hiru gives no names or ages for either suspect and does not name the victim or his resort. The value of the property taken is not stated, and it is not said whether the cash was recovered along with the jewellery, cards and motorcycle — the recovery list omits it.
The size of the alleged debt is not given, nor whether any debt in fact existed. It is not stated how the victim got away or was let go, how long he was held, whether he was injured, or what date the abduction took place — only that the suspects vanished for “several days” before being caught on 19 September.
No charges are specified, and no court date is given.