Cops-turned robbers’ 10.2m heist unravels from within

N. Devendran, a foreign currency dealer, went to his bank at Navam Mawatha, one morning in February, withdrew Rs 10.2 million, and drove off in his car.

He had hardly gone half-a-kilometre, when a Sub Inspector (SI) of the Fort Police stopped him right opposite the Nawaloka Hospital car park. Just then, a blue coloured Defender Jeep stopped just ahead of his car.

What followed is history. A Rs 10.2 million rupee heist had taken place in one of Colombo’s high security zones.

This week, the SI is in custody along with another SI and an Inspector. They are all attached to the Colombo Fort Police. They were among seven persons arrested by the Colombo Crime Division ( CCD) investigating the daring daylight robbery. They have recovered Rs 1 million and found that an unspecified amount has been deposited in different banks, by the group of robbers.

Police sources say the incident would have gone into their records as yet another unsolved crime, had it not been for infighting within the group which staged the heist. There were about 11 of them. One key man had fled to Malaysia and Interpol help is being sought to arrest him.

The story that has unfolded so far reveals that a former partner of Devendran, who was dealing in buying/ selling foreign currency, had been the main player. He had given details of Devendran’s regular activities and how he travelled to the bank periodically to withdraw/ deposit foreign/local currency.

The traffic policemen had planned the heist.

Once Devendran was bundled into the jeep, it had been driven around the area for a while, to give the impression that he was being taken on a long journey.

CCD officials say fuller details of the robbery will be made public only when they complete their investigations. “We have five more to arrest, to complete the picture,” one of them said.