Foreign buyer involved with Rs 7 billion diamond, gems robbery

Investigation revealed yesterday that a foreigner, was among the team involved with the robbery in which a diamond and several other gem stones worth over Rs. 7 billion, were stolen from a gem merchant from the Maharagama on November 5 last year, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said. The foreigner believed be an Australian, was at the merchant’s house in guise of a buyer of the diamond and gems deal. SP Gunasekera said this was revealed when the Mirihana Crimes Unit officers questioned an individual identified as Mohan Pradeep Fernando who is a resident of Negombo. “There was an individual who identified as Tharindu Thiwanka Jayatissa, which believed to be an accomplice of Makandure Madush. tharindu has known Mohan.the foreigner was introduced to Tharindu by Mohan as part of the deal”, he said. The spokesman said the foreigner was initially sent to the merchant’s house by Tharindu, to discuss the deal and later an armed gang arrived at the house and stolen the diamond and gems. The foreigner was handcuffed and taken away from the house by the robbers to mislead the investigation. SP Gunasekera said Matara Division Crimes Detection Bureau on Monday recovered T56 bullets and a handcuff from a house of an army deserter identified as Samantha Pushpakumara, an accomplice of Makandure Madush. Police said the army deserter was also a member of the diamond robbery and believed that the seized handcuff could be used to handcuffed the foreigner. SP Gunasekera said the foreigner and Tharindu Thiwanka had left for Dubai on November 7 last year, two day after the robbery.