• Exploited pregnancy for sympathy, say Police

By B.G.Chaturanga

The Anuradhapura Police arrested a group of pregnant women involved in robbing passengers of cash and jewellery on buses. The women, aged 20, 23, and 30, hailing from Thambuttegama and Ingiriya areas. They were apprehended with stolen items including a gold chain worth Rs. 200,000, Rs. 8,000 in cash, and 2,700 milligrams of heroin.

The arrest was made after a passenger on a bus travelling from Colombo to Anuradhapura reported her gold chain being snatched. The bus was promptly directed to Anuradhapura Police, leading to the arrest of the women and recovery of the stolen gold chain.

These women did not possess any identification documents and provided inconsistent information about their residences. Authorities suspect they exploited their pregnancies to garner sympathy from passengers and perpetrate their crimes.

Further investigations are being carried out by a police team led by CI Duminda Kumara from the Crime Investigation Branch, under the guidance of HQI Anuradhapura Police, R.M. Jayaweera.