12 Arrested during Facebook party

By. Buddhika Kumarasiri  

A group of 12 young men were arrested and a stock of intoxicants in their possession seized during a Facebook party held at a hotel on the banks of the Kelani river at Gurugalla in Avissawella.  

The suspects were between 18 and 26 years of age and residents of Kahatuduwa, Balangoda, Avissawella, Pannipitiya and Gurugalla areas and they had paid Rs,3000 each to participate the party.   

 Police said the hotel management that organized the party by advertising on Facebook had camouflaged the hotel with banana leaves and obstructed the access road by cutting down trees.  

A team of more than 25 officers had carried out the raid on information received by the Seethawaka SSP Chandana Kodituwakku.   The suspects had in their possession ten bottles of arrack, 22 tins of beer, 12 bottles of beer, and a stock of cigarettes containing Ganja while the owner of the hotel had in his possession a stock of Hashish.  
Investigations revealed that the owner had supplied food and drinks to the participants for excessive prices about three times of normal price.  

 The suspects were produced before the Avissawella Actg. Magistrate Nilanthi Gunawardene and released on personal bail of Rs.100,000 each.

  
A police team under OIC Seethawaka Division Crime Investigation Unit CI Abeydeera, and OIC Crime Investigation Branch Avissawella police SI Mendis, and SI Bandara carried out the raid on the instructions of SSP Chandana Kodituwakku. 

• The suspects had in their possession ten bottles of arrack, 22 tins of beer, 12 bottles of beer, and a stock of cigarettes containing Ganja