The Attorney General has instructed to arrest Kapuwa, the head of Ruhunu Kataragama Temple who is in charge of the temple’s store.Sri Lanka Latest News
It is related to the disappearance of the gold disc weighing 38 pounds, which was offered to Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Dewala by the wife of underworld leader ‘Angoda Lokka’ for her child’s death.
The arrest orders have been received for Kataragama Maha Devala chief Kapu Dhurandara Somipala Ratnayake and grandson of chief Kapurala in charge of the temple’s store, Saman Priyantha or Chuti Kapu Mahathaya.
In connection with the disappearance of this gold necklace, after a complaint made to the Inspector General of Police in October 2021 by Basnayaka Nilame Dishan Wickramaratne Gunasekara of Ruhunu Kataragama Dewa, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Deshbandu Tennakoon handed it over to the Colombo Crime Division for investigation.
Accordingly, under its Director Assistant Superintendent of Police D.J. Neville Silva, Unit No. 1 OIC Investigations started.
In the investigations conducted there, a confessional statement of Abeysinghe, the wife of Angoda Lokka alias Madduma Lasanta Chandana Perera, that she offered a gold plate engraved with her son’s name to the Kataragama temple to remove her son’s evil deeds.
It has been revealed that although they went to offer five gold pounds to match the child’s age, later on the advice of the senior Kapuwa of the temple, requested the plate be made using gold weighing thirty-eight pounds to match the age of Angoda Lokka.
It has been revealed that Mr. Sujith Prasanna, who was a cook in a hotel in Kataragama, was told by Angoda lokka to arrange for the gold plate to be made by talking to him using emo technology.
Accordingly, on July 03, 2019, Angoda Boss’s wife took the child to the Kataragama temple and offered the pooja, and the pooja was performed by Kapuwa, Somipala has also been revealed.
It has been revealed that there are 15 Kapuwas working in Kataragama Mahadevala, and those who are assigned by Kapumahathaya in charge of the month have received the money and property offered during that month.
The valuables offered by the devotees must be stored in the temple place and only the 15 Kapu Mahats and the Basnayake Nilame are allowed to enter it.
It has been revealed in the statement that Chief Kapuwa was in charge of the Teva in the month when Angoda Lokka’s wife came and offered the gold disc and that two weeks after offering it, Dhurandara Saman Priyantha, who was in charge of the store, took the gold disc to Mr. Somipala Ratnayake’s room.
After the complaint made by an anonymous call to the Basnayake Nilame that this was missing, Kapuwas were summoned and inquired about it.
The cook who intervened in the offering said that Kapuwa told him to lie to Basnayake Nilame that after offering this gold plate and leaving it in the temple for three days, Angoda Lokka’s wife took it back.
It has been revealed from the statements of the chief Kapurala and Kapurala in charge of the store that a gold tray was re-made and placed in the temple because this incident would bring dishonour to the Kapuwa’s. Accordingly, it has been revealed that a gold disk has been returned to the temple on October 26, 2021, identified as the offered gold plate.
Somipala Kapuwa or Mr. Saman Priyantha or Chuti Kapuwa has revealed in the investigations that he made a gold disk again for 41 lakh rupees to Kataragama, as instructed by his grandfather. A replica of the missing disk has been created and placed again in the temple pending police investigations.
In this regard, the Colombo Crime Division has filed a case under Tissamaharama Magistrate’s Court B 73047/2021 and requested the Attorney General’s advice.
Accordingly, the Attorney General’s instructions were received by Colombo Crime Division yesterday (07).
