Showers have been predicted at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and North-western provinces today (June 16), according to the Department of Meteorology.

Fairly heavy rains above 50 mm are likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts.

A few showers may occur in the Northern province and in the Anuradhapura district as well.

Strong winds of about 40-50kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Northwestern provinces and in the Trincomalee district.

The general public has also been requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds.

Moratuwa Police launched an investigation after a 19-year-old youth had died after an electric elevator at a hotel collapsed on June 14.

The deceased is a resident of Arukgoda in Panadura, and was an employee at the Bolgoda Hotel in Moratuwa.

According to reports, the elevator, which was reportedly designated solely for the use of hotel employees, had given away when the youth was inside, injuring him critically. He was rushed to the Panadura Base Hospital but was pronounced dead upon admission.

The management of the hotel has lodged a complaint with the Moratuwa Police regarding the incident. Further investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the elevator collapse.

Assets worth over Rs.4 billion belonging to 88 individuals who have accumulated wealth through illegal activities, including drug trafficking, have been frozen by the Illegal Assets Investigation Division, data from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) shows.

The frozen assets include more than 77 large land plots totalling over 1,500 perches, more than 40 houses and buildings, 12 gemstones, over 10 kilogrammes of gold, a supermarket, a pharmacy, two hotels, a soap manufacturing machine, over 100 vehicles, seven multi-day fishing vessels, 328 bicycles, and two vallam boats.

The assets of 26 major underworld drug traffickers are among those frozen. The largest volume of assets frozen, preventing sale or transfer, belongs to an individual known as Dematagoda Ruwan, who is the brother of Dematagoda Chaminda, a known underworld figure.

According to the Illegal Assets Investigation Division, the total value of assets frozen under Dematagoda Ruwan’s name stands at Rs.666.9 million. These include five bank accounts holding Rs 90 million, two land plots worth Rs.380 million, 10 vehicles valued at Rs.200 million, 1.5 kilogrammes of gold worth over Rs.20 million, two houses worth over Rs.40 million, and pawned items valued at more than Rs.10 million.

The list of those whose assets have been frozen includes many prominent underworld drug figures such as Kudu Salindu, Kudu Roshan, Mohamed Rifkan, Weliwita Suda, Karandeniya Sudda, Ganemulla Sanjeewa, Ladiya, Kevuma, Batuwatte Chamara, Basiq, Olumara, Bathala Heen, Parei Sudda, and Kirinde Chamara, among others.

The division’s information reveals that the assets of these individuals have now been officially frozen. Bathala Heen, a well-known cannabis trafficker, recently had Rs.100 million worth of assets frozen, while last week an additional Rs.30 million worth of assets under his wife’s name were also frozen.

Many of these underworld drug traffickers whose assets have been frozen are currently overseas, and much of the property is registered under the names of their relatives. These asset freezes are the result of investigations ongoing since 2021. A senior Police officer stated that further investigations will be carried out into the assets of a large number of other individuals, and that necessary steps will be taken to freeze those assets as well.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)