Four individuals have been arrested for their involvement in a series of gold jewellery robberies targeting taxi drivers.
The suspects, who pretended to be passengers, had offered the drivers hires before drugging and stealing their gold jewellery.
The arrests took place yesterday (07) by the Western Province South Crime Division.
Police report that the suspects lured taxi drivers by posing as passengers in need of a ride. Once inside the vehicle, they offered the drivers a drink laced with a sedative, rendering them unconscious, and proceeded to rob them of gold jewellery and cash.
The total value of the stolen items is estimated at Rs. 5.5 million, including a significant amount of gold jewellery, the police said.
However, police have managed to recover some of the stolen gold jewellery worth Rs. 4.1 million from a gold shop located at Sea Street, Colombo 11.
Further investigations have revealed that the suspects were behind similar thefts spanning across approximately 15 police divisions.
The arrested individuals, aged 37 and 38, hail from Rakwana, Maradana, Badulla, and Werellagama areas, the police said.
