The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has uncovered certain evidence which may suggest that the stolen monument known as Sandagala, weighing more than 1,000 kilos from the Kundasale Udamaluwa Archaeological Reserve may have been destroyed by those who stole it believing there are treasures such as gems inside it.
Police information revealed that the investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department have revealed that the masterminds behind the crime are trying to sneak in through loopholes in the law by misguiding the investigations.
After stealing Sandagala, the vehicle suspected to have used to take it to Colombo was seized along with two suspects and handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department by the Kegalle Police. The Kegalle Police have said that this vehicle which was traveling on the road was stopped based on information that it was related to the Sandagala theft incident. At that time, there had been broken pieces of stone in the lorry. The suspects who were arrested with the vehicle had told the police that the stone fragments were from Sandagala. However, a police officer said this statement cannot be believed.
A senior official of the Criminal Investigation Department said that the Criminal Investigation Department cannot be deceived by such things. The officer said that so far the information of a large number of people involved in this theft has been revealed and it appears that there are even people involved in politics.
Except for the two who were arrested with the vehicle, all other suspects are currently missing. The Criminal Investigation Department has received information that there is also a member of a local government body among them.
Police information also stated that apart from the Canter vehicle, the Criminal Investigation Department has taken a Defender jeep and a Boom Truck into its custody. According to the information received by the Criminal Investigation Department, the owner of the Defender is a person connected to politics. The boom truck that was allegedly used in this theft was found at the business place of a politician’s coordinating secretary in Aruppola, Kandy.
Police information further revealed that since this boom trunk is provided on a rental basis, the coordination secretary has said that he does not know for what purpose it was used by the people whom he rented it. He is to be questioned further in this regard. The Criminal Investigation Department had unearthed information that on December 14, when this theft took place, a group of people had gone to the Kundasale Udamaluwa Archaeological Reserve on two motorcycles, a canter type vehicle, a boom truck and a Defender jeep.
Investigations have revealed that the boom truck loaded with the Sadagala had remained in the garage of a millionaire businessman from Pallekele for more than 24 hours.
There is no definite information as to where the stolen Sadagala has been hidden so far, and information received by the Criminal Investigation Department reveals it may have been taken to Colombo.
The site of this archaeological monument, which was stolen during the night, is said to be the site of the palace of Sri Weera Parakrama Narendrasingha, the last Sinhalese king who ruled the Kundasale Kingdom of Kandy for 32 years from 1707 to 1739 AD. This monument, named Sanadagala which was at the Kundasale Udamaluwa Archaeological Reserve, was about four feet in length and three feet in height.
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