Student turned thief in Gampola

Clever student who secured 9 A's at O/L ..... nabbed for housebreaking!

News is reported from Gampola where a brilliant student who had passed his O/L with flying colours was cordoned by the police as a large-scale thief.

The young man who complicated his life by getting involved in a sudden marriage after the examination had got involved in this activity he said, because of his attachment to his wife.
He had robbed gold jewellery to the value of 32 lakhs and had pawned it in about 18 establishments including government banks and was arrested on a tip-off received by the police.

A three-wheeler, a large stock of furniture and electric equipment secured with the aid of this money received from pawning the gold articles were all taken into custody.

This youth of 18 years hailing from Mounttemple area in Gampola had entered into marriage at a tender age. He had studied at a well-known school in Gampola and had passed the O/L's with 9 A's showing excellent prowess but had given up his A/L education half-way through and had got married.

This young man who had entered into marriage as a result of a love affair; had then faced financial difficulties and because he has had no time to follow any line of skillful work was ultimately unable to secure employment, it was told. He had been engaged in labour-work for sometime and had taken to robbery because of the above-mentioned reason.

He had confessed to police that he began to be drawn towards robbery because he was intent on bestowing his wife a life of luxury.

At the very beginning he had entered a house in Kandaveediya in Gampola and had robbed gold articles to the value of 6 lakhs and a credit card. Later he had stolen gold articles to the tune of 22 lakhs from another house in Illawathura area in Gampola. All these robberies had been carried out in broad daylight. It was said that he had kept an eye on luxury houses and after spying further had embarked on his activities when the householders were out of sight.

Based on the evidence provided by the houseowner of a house robbed by this youth on his last robbing expedition, he had come to work in that house as a labourer and was thus arrested by the police.

This youth of 18 years who had passed his O/L's in grand style, it was understood, was even excellent in the useage of the English Language and on inspecting his house, the police had come across love letters written by him to his lover.