A 49-year-old Chinese national has been arrested at a Colombo Fort casino over the theft of $9,900 — about Rs. 3.1 million — from a fellow passenger aboard a flight from Abu Dhabi to Colombo, police said.
The cash was stolen from the handbag of a Russian doctor while he slept during the flight, which arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at around 3.00am on Thursday. The victim discovered the loss after disembarking and lodged a complaint with airport police at around 4.00am.
Officers of the Airport Police Katunayake reviewed BIA CCTV footage and identified the suspect, who had already cleared the airport in a hired taxi. Investigators traced the vehicle through the taxi service counter records and located the suspect at a casino in Colombo Fort, where he was taken into custody.
The suspect had already gambled $4,000 at the casino, police said. The remaining $5,900 was recovered from his possession at the time of arrest. He is due to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court on Friday. BIA has been a focal point for customs and police enforcement in recent months, including a string of narcotics arrests involving foreign nationals transiting through the airport.
Sources: Newswire.
