• 2,303 IRCs among 4,584 suspects nabbed  
• Facial recognition system introduced in ‘Yukthiya’ operation at BIA  

 By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

A total of 28,520 suspects have been arrested as of yesterday during the island-wide operation ‘Yukthiya,’ which launched on December 17 last year, making it one of the largest crackdowns in recent history, the Public Security Ministry said.  

Among the arrested individuals, 1,434 are currently undergoing further interrogation under detention orders.  

The Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and Special Bureau have identified a total of 4,584 suspects listed as Island Re-convicted Criminals (IRCs) in the country, and 2,303 suspects among them have already been arrested during the ‘Yukthiya’ operation.  

The operation yielded substantial results with 70 kgs of heroin, 200 kgs of ICE drug, 340.5 kgs of cannabis, 1,223,979 cannabis plants, 129 kgs of Mawa, 5 kgs of Hashish, 35 kgs of Ash, 1.8 kgs of Kush, 11 kgs of Madana Modaka, and 79,147 narcotic pills seized and taken into police custody.  

Furthermore, the operation targeted individuals involved in illegal assets, leading to the investigation of over 200 suspects, while 1,603 drug addicts were directed to rehabilitation centers.  
Meanwhile, the Public Security Ministry and the Police have launched an automated facial recognition system at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Saturday with the aim of cracking down on organized criminals as part of the ongoing “Yukthiya” operation.  

An automated facial recognition system is being implemented as a pilot project at the BIA using limited resources.  

The Public Security Ministry said that data of organized criminals and drug traffickers have been included in the system based on information from the data system maintained in the Crime Records Division.  

With this, the ability to identify any suspect who comes in disguise or informally can be identified .  

Minister Alles said that people who are not involved in crime will not need to have undue fear when travelling abroad and returning from abroad due to the launch of this system.  
“All the police officers are dedicated day and night for the special operation. As a result, very good results are being obtained. It is our responsibility to improve the technology and provide the necessary facilities to encourage those officials,” the minister said.