Protest against a family of thugs

By Pushpakumara Mallawarachchi   

Residents of Banduragoda area yesterday staged protest at Wattemulla junction on the Divulapitiya- Meerigama road accusing the police of failing to take action against the brothers of one family who are rampant in the area terrorizing innocent people..   

They said four brothers of the family had attempted to hack to death two little girls last Tuesday (15) and that an elderly couple had been assaulted with swords causing serious injuries when they attempted to save the two children from being hacked to death by the gang who entered their house at Wattemulla in Kotadeniyawa. They pointed out that the injured G.G.Wickremesinghe (68) and his wife E.K.Kusumawathie (67) were neighbours of the three children.   
They had been admitted to the Watupitiwala hospital and the woman had lost two fingers due to the assault ,had been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital.   

The protestors said if not for the attempt of the elderly couple the two little girls would have been hacked to death by the gang which included a man who had been a Buddhist monk and had given up robes.  

They pointed out that two of the suspects were caught and handed over to the police by the residents of the area but the two main suspects were still at large. They accused the police of failing to arrest the two men.   
The protest lasted about two hours until OIC Kotadeniyawa police CI P.N.Pushpakumara explained them that step was being taken to arrest the suspects.   

A team of police officers from Pallewela police had joined Kotadeniyawa police to step up security in the area.