Four Police officers attached to the Monaragala Division Crimes Unit have been arrested for allegedly accepting a Rs 500,000 bribe from a suspect to refrain from taking legal action against him over a cannabis cultivation in the Nikawewa-Demodara Wewa area of Thanamalwila.

The arrested officers, who were subsequently released on bail by the Wellawaya Magistrate’s Court, include two Police Sergeants aged 37 and 45, a 39-year-old Police Constable driver and a 36-year-old Police Constable.

The arrests followed an investigation launched after officers from the Thanamalwila Police raided a cannabis cultivation in the area on 11 August.

The Officer-in-Charge of the Thanamalwila Police had received information about the cultivation, following which a Police team raided the location and arrested a suspect along with cannabis plants.

A subsequent search of the surrounding area led Police to discover three more cannabis cultivations allegedly belonging to the suspect. Officers also found another cultivation that had been cut down and set on fire.

During questioning, the suspect reportedly told Police that six officers attached to the Monaragala Division Crimes Unit had raided the location on 10 August and allegedly accepted Rs 500,000 from him in return for not taking legal action.

He further claimed that the officers had destroyed only one of the five cultivations by setting it on fire, while taking the cannabis plants from the other cultivations with them.

Meanwhile, another individual known as “Kalu”, a resident of the Nikawewa area, was arrested after being found in possession of cannabis during the investigation.

During questioning, he reportedly told Police that six officers from the Unit had instructed him to dry the cannabis.

The two suspects were produced before the Wellawaya Magistrate’s Court, which issued detention orders to facilitate further questioning.

Based on information disclosed during the questioning, the Thanamalwila Police subsequently arrested the four officers allegedly involved in the incident.

The officers were produced before the Wellawaya Magistrate’s Court and released on bail. The Court ordered each suspect to provide a cash bail of Rs 50,000 and two surety bails of Rs 200,000 each.

The officers are alleged to have obtained the Rs 500,000 from the owner of the cannabis plantation during a raid in the Nikawewa area, which falls within the Thanamalwila Police Division.

Investigations into the alleged bribery and the involvement of other officers are continuing.