• Suspect and his father carried out a string of armed robberies

A soldier attached to the Panagoda Army Camp has been arrested over the murder of a PickMe motorcycle rider in Homagama and a series of armed robberies carried out across several parts of the country.

Police stated that the suspect had served as an officer in charge of the sports division at the Panagoda Army Camp.

The investigation began after the body of a motorcycle rider was found in a canal at Galagahena, Homagama, on 16 July. A post-mortem examination confirmed that the victim had been murdered after his throat had been slit. Police stated that the victim's motorcycle, gold chain, mobile phone and wallet had been stolen by the perpetrators.

As similar armed robberies had been reported in the Homagama area, officers attached to the Homagama Police Crime Division launched an extensive investigation under the supervision of Chief Inspector of Police (CI) Saman Gamage using CCTV footage collected from the area. The footage showed the victim arriving at the crime scene with another person riding as a passenger.

Investigators subsequently established the passenger had murdered the rider before robbing him. A second suspect had allegedly arrived later and assisted in the crime. Further investigations revealed the two suspects are father and son.

Police stated that on the day after the murder, the suspects used the stolen motorcycle to travel to Moragahahena, where they threatened a woman with a sharp weapon before robbing her of her gold chain. The same motorcycle was later used in another robbery in Homagama.

Acting on intelligence, investigators raided a house in Pitipana, Homagama, where the younger suspect was arrested. Police recovered a locally manufactured live hand grenade and 500 milligrams of heroin from his possession. Questioning revealed that the suspect had worked with his father in committing the offences. Police also recovered a Pulsar motorcycle believed to have been used in several crimes across the island, together with a bloodstained motorcycle helmet.

Investigators said the suspects frequently targeted women carrying children and the arrested suspect was seen wearing light blue denim trousers during most of the robberies. Police have linked the suspect to four armed robberies reported in Homagama, Avissawella, Giriulla and Dehiowita.

Police also stated that the suspect had used his Army identity card to pass through Police checkpoints without being stopped while travelling with weapons alongside his father.

The suspect was produced before the Acting Magistrate of Homagama on 25 July, who granted Police permission to detain him for seven days for further questioning. Investigations are continuing to trace the main suspect, believed to be the father.