News

Preacher arrested over breaking into newspaper office

Published

2 months ago

April 10, 2023

editor

A Preacher of a Christian group has been arrested after he led group into the Udayan newspaper office on Kasthuriyar Road, Jaffna in protest over an article published in the Sunday edition of the newspaper, and threatened the media workers.

The group of about 30 people which was led by the pastor of a Christian church in Achuveli, Jaffna, was involved in the incident. The Jaffna police are carrying out investigations over the incident.

Two others also have been arrested.

They were from the ‘Assembly of Life Word’ in Achuveli..

They were arrested on the basis of the initial complaint that they entered a house near the church and strangled a femalle bank employee who had complained to the police that the preacher and others who broke into the house last Friday attacked her and her mother who were at home at that time.

The affected woman has also been treated at the hospital. Residents in the area say that the attack came after the Bank employee complained about excessive noise during prayer events in conducted by the Preacher. However the preacher and the other two told the police investigation that they went to that house because stones were thrown at the congregation.

The Preacher had stormed the newsapper office as the Udayan had published the news item on Sunday.

As a result of that about 30 men, women, boys and girls arrived at the headoffice of the Udayan yesterday afternoon in a mini bus and a pickup truck. Defying the office security officer, the gang broke into the reception hall and demanded as on how they reported the incident.

The religious group covered the office gate and sat on the floor so that no one could enter.

Two employees of Udayan newspaper approached the mob and tried to find out what their demand were and to find a solution to it. But the protesting group was not inteding to resolve the matter to resolve the matter.

The pastor and two others who were arrested by the Achuveli police were granted bail.

“If there is any mistake in the news, if you submit the relevant evidence and explanation, we will investigate it accordingly and make a decision. “If not, approach the matter legally,” the mob was repeatedly told by the newspaper, but the mob did not heed to it and protested.

The gang members took photographs and videotaped the employees of Udayan Press without their permission.

It has been brought to the attention of the Minister of Public Security, Minister Tiran Alles and the ministr has assured that appropriate action will be taken in this regard.

(sundaytimes.lk)

News

Litro slashes gas cylinder prices

Published

2 hours ago

June 3, 2023

editor

Litro Gas Lanka, one of the country’s two leading suppliers of domestic Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas, has decided to slash the prices of its products.

The price reduction will be effective from midnight tomorrow (June 04), according to Litro chairman and CEO Muditha Peiris.

News

Three state bank employees arrested for stealing pawned gold jewellery

Published

2 hours ago

June 3, 2023

editor

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested three employees of a state bank in Oddamavadi for stealing pawned gold jewellery to the tune of LKR 20 million.

According to the police, among the arrestees are the deputy manager, operations manager and the service assistant of the said state bank.

The trio is accused of stealing pawned 873g of gold jewellery from the safety-deposit box of the state bank.

The CID team had initiated probes into the matter after receiving a complaint about several pieces of gold jewellery that had gone missing from the depository of the bank.

An individual, upon visiting the bank to retrieve the gold jewellery he had pawned in November last year to obtain a loan, had learned that the items were, in fact, missing. After conducting an inspection, the bank employees realized that 13 packets of gold jewellery have been disappeared from the depository.

The bank’s management has suspended the duties of the deputy manager over the incident.

During the interrogations, he had confessed that two other female employees – an operations manager and a service assistant – too were complicit in the theft. They were later placed under arrest by the CID investigators.

They had used the depository keys which were in their possession to steal the gold jewellery on three occasions.

After stealing 13 packets of gold jewellery, the trio had sold them to gold jewellery shops in the area for LKR 13.7 million out of which LKR 5.7 million was retained by the deputy manager to settle a loan. The operations manager, meanwhile, held on to LKR 5 million, which she deposited in a bank for her daughter. The service assistant had purchased a three-wheeler and a piece of land from the LKR 3 million she received.

The trio was remanded until June 16 after being produced before the Valachchenai Magistrate’s Court on Friday (June 02).

News

3 sluice gates of Kukule Ganga reservoir opened

Published

14 hours ago

June 2, 2023

editor

Three of the four sluice gates of Kukule Ganga reservoir were opened this evening (June 02) as heavy rains were experienced in the catchment areas.

The authorities have advised the people living in low-lying areas of the Kukule Ganga reservoir to be on alert of possible floods.

It is reported that the water levels of the reservoir have increased at an alarming rate after the downpours in the water catchment areas.

Meanwhile, the Irrigation Department issued an ‘Amber’ flood warning for the upper catchment areas of Kuda Ganga sub-basin of Kalu River after heavy rainfall was received.