A man who got into buses with wife and three children and then stole mobile phones and wallets of passengers was arrested along with 5,200 milligrams of heroin, the Piliyandala Police said.

During the interrogation of the suspect, police found nearly 20 stolen mobile phones worth over Rs.1 million.

Piliyandala Crimes OIC IP Dinesh Hettiarachchi, who has been paying attention to several complaints received from youths and school children regarding the loss of mobile phones in buses, has arrested the suspect in Miriswatta based on CCTV footage.

A police officer said that the wife and three children were with the suspect at the time of his arrest, and the three children had started crying requesting not to take their father away.

The 33-year-old suspect, a resident of Pothupitiya in Wadduwa, failed to give a valid reason as to why he was in Piliyandala with his wife and children.

Investigations revealed that the mobile phones of school children and women in buses were stolen meticulously by the suspect along Route No. 138 Homagama-Pettah and Route No. 296 Piliyandala-Maharagama.

Police said that they were able to find the stolen mobile phones which had been sold at a very low price in Badowita, Mt.Lavinia and Pettah.

The suspect will be produced in the Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court.

A suspect, who was recaptured after escaping from the custody of the Kalutara Prison officers, was hospitalized due to injuries sustained after he banged his head against the iron door of the police cell, Panadura North Police said.

The suspect was identified as 32-year-old ‘Murawatte Kabaraya’, a resident of Koralawella, Moratuwa.

Police sources said that the suspect was arrested yesterday (07) by a group of officers of the crimes division.

He was admitted to the Panadura Base Hospital in a ‘Suwa Seriya’ ambulance.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court issued a restraining order against 26 individuals including Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in relation to a protest to be organized by the National People’s Power outside the Election Commission in Rajagiriya today (08) against the postponement of the local government elections.

According to Section 106 (01) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Court issued the order against the 26 people including Mr. Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath, Lal Kantha, Tilvin Silva, Sunil Handunnetti and Wasantha Samarasinghe.

This Court issued this order preventing them from protesting along the Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Road, Cotta Road, Nawala Road, Sarana Road and access roads towards the Election Commission.

The Welikada Police requested the restraining order from the Court stating that the protest to be carried out by the parties named as respondents could inconvenience the public and cause disturbance to the students who are facing the GCE O/L exam.