The Galle Harbour Police have arrested a 40-year-old resident of Poddala in connection with a string of thefts targeting monks’ residences and temple donation boxes across Galle and surrounding areas, Newswire reported.
The suspect was taken into custody in Karapitiya on Wednesday (10) carrying 4,700 Chinese Yuan, USD 1,112, Rs. 24,120 in cash and 2,740 milligrams of heroin, all allegedly stolen from a temple in the Makuluwu area, police said.
Investigations have revealed that the suspect is linked to several break-ins at temples within the Galle, Yakkalamulla, Imaduwa and Galle Harbour police divisions, where cash had been stolen from donation boxes and monks’ quarters.
The suspect was scheduled to be produced before the Galle Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (11) while the Galle Harbour Police continue further investigations.
The arrest is the second high-value temple-theft case from the southern province in recent weeks, following an investigation into the gold theft at the Hanthana Sandagiri Temple in May. The foreign-currency haul from a single break-in stands out at a time when monks’ quarters have been increasingly targeted in opportunistic break-ins along the southern belt.
Source: Newswire.
