The annual State oil anointing ceremony, held in conjunction with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, is scheduled to take place today (April 16) at 9:04 a.m. at the Sri Maha Natha Devalaya premises, located within the Sri Dalada Maligawa Square in Kandy.

The anointing of oil will take place at 09.04 am on April 16 while donned in green attire facing Southwards, with Kohomba leaves above the head and ‘Kolon’ leaves at the feet, as per the traditional almanac.

The Department of Meteorology states that showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, North-western, Uva, and North-central provinces during the afternoon or night today (April 16).

A few showers may also occur in the Western Province and in the Galle, Matara, Puttalam, and Mannar districts in the morning, according to the Dep. of Meteorology.

Fairly heavy falls of over 50 mm are likely in some areas of the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Uva provinces.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa district during the morning.

Two suspects have been arrested on charges of money laundering and aiding and abetting money laundering, along with Rs. 5,745,000 in cash found in their possession.

The arrests were made as part of the ongoing island-wide crime and drug prevention operation initiated under the directives of the Acting IGP. 

The two individuals were taken into custody near Thunmodara Junction in the Kirulapone Police Division after being observed acting suspiciously in a three-wheeler during a search.

They were brought to the Kirulapone Police Station, where further investigations were launched, police said.

According to police, the suspects – aged 49 and 39 – are residents of Siddhartha Road, Kirulapone. 

One of the individuals is the owner of a LP gas shop in the area. Preliminary investigations have uncovered possible links between him and illegal drug trafficking activities.

One suspect has been formally arrested for money laundering, while the other has been charged with aiding and abetting the offense, police added.

Kirulapone Police are continuing investigations to determine whether the seized funds originated from narcotics-related activities or from the suspect’s business operations.

(adaderana.lk)

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