Police have located the schoolgirl abducted in Daulagala, Kandy on Saturday (11).
The schoolgirl, along with the primary suspect involved in the abduction have been found by the police while they were boarded on a luxury bus that was scheduled to depart for Kandy near the Ampara Bus Stand today (13).
However, the suspect has now been arrested and the interrogations of the girl and the suspect are underway.
The abduction took place on the morning of January 11, 2025, in the Daulagala Police Division. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the primary suspect is a close relative—the son of the girl’s father’s sister.
Police said that the suspect abducted the girl following a disagreement over their proposed marriage. Initially, both families had consented to the union, but the girl’s father later withdrew his approval, triggering the conflict, according to police.
The schoolgirl, a resident of Handessa, was abducted on the morning of January 11 while on her way to school with a friend.
The van used in the abduction was discovered abandoned in Polonnaruwa by local police the same day. Subsequently, officers from Daulagala Police apprehended the van driver, a 30-year-old resident of Kahatapitiya, Gampola, in the Gampola area on January 12.
(adaderana.lk)
(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)
Four Sri Lankan passengers were arrested by Customs officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning while attempting to smuggle in a large consignment of whiskey and cardamom valued at approximately Rs. 15 million.
The suspects, residents of Colombo and Hatton had arrived in the country on IndiGo flight 6E-1183 from Bangalore, India, which landed at 1:00 a.m.
Customs officials uncovered the contraband during baggage checks, finding 378 bottles of whiskey and 132 kilograms of cardamom concealed in 20 pieces of luggage. The items were reportedly purchased from a duty-free shopping complex at a foreign airport.
The four individuals have been detained, and further investigations are being carried out by the Airport Customs Division.
The Treasury has warned the Central Bank that the enthusiasm shown in the import of vehicles after the ban was lifted could have a negative impact on foreign reserves and urged that precautionary measures be taken.
A senior Treasury official said that in the five months after the restrictions on the import of vehicles were lifted, Letters of Credit to the value of US$ 742 million have been opened, against the proposed target of allowing up to US$ 1 billion.
Accordingly, the Treasury has advised the Central Bank that as the opening of the LCs and imports has been at a rate faster than anticipated, it should closely study the trend of imports and take remedial measures in advance.
The Treasury has pointed out that the outflow of US dollars could have a serious impact on the foreign currency reserves and also on the exchange rates. As a result, there could be an impact on imports of essentials, including fuel.
The longstanding vehicle import ban was lifted in February this year, and so far more than 18,000 vehicles have been brought into the country, while import levies have earned a tax revenue of Rs 220 billion, Customs Spokesman Seevali Arukgoda told the Sunday Times.
The revenue from vehicle imports has made a significant contribution to the taxes in the form of customs levies amounting to Rs one trillion so far for the year. The Customs revenue target for this year is Rs 2.1 trillion.
(sundaytimes.lk)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)
