Doctor arrested over Rs 7.9m robbery at National Hospital remanded
June 11, 2020 03:15 pm
The doctor who was arrested after he attempted to rob Rs 7.9 million from the General Hospital has been remanded until June 24 after being produced before a court.
The 33-year-old suspect was arrested on Tuesday (09) while he was fleeing after robbing Rs 7.9 million in cash from the Colombo National Hospital’s accounts division after threatening the cashier using a fake pistol.
The arrested suspect, who is from Horana and temporarily living at Kota Road in Colombo, is said to be a specialist doctor attached to another hospital, but had been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital for a postgraduate specialist trainee program.
Reports said the money in question had been brought to the hospital for the payment of overtime salaries, allowances and payments for other duties of hospital employees.
The suspect, who was wearing a wig and pulled out a pistol, had stolen the money at gunpoint before fleeing in a three-wheeler.
Two trainee police constables attached to the State Intelligence Service, who were on duty at the hospital, had pursued the robber in another three-wheeler.
Meanwhile the OIC of the Children and Women’s Bureau of Matara Division, Chief Inspector Varuni Bogahawatta, who had been at the hospital on an official matter had also pursued the perpetrator and assisted the Constables to make the arrest.
The arrested doctor has no prior records of criminal offenses. The court had yesterday permitted police to detain the arrested suspect for 48-hours for further investigations.
