by Norman Palihawadana
Slave Island police investigating the heist of a bag containing rupees 2.8 million at a bank in Slave Island arrested the complainant.

On questioning the suspect it had been revealed that he had planned the heist in association with four of his friends in order to fund the marriage of his sister. The four associates have also been taken into custody. The stolen rupees 2.8 million also had been recovered hidden inside the houses of his friends.

The money belongs to the owner of a business centre in Colombo that exchanged foreign currency for local currency. The owner had expressed surprise regarding the action of his employee as he was the person who brought money from the bank on earlier occasions, police sources said.

On Tuesday the owner of the business centre had accompanied the employee in his car to the bank and had been waiting for him in the car for the money.

As it had taken considerable time for the employee to return, the owner had then gone to the bank and made inquiries.

The employee had fallen senseless inside the toilet of the bank.

He had explained to the police that an unidentified person had held a handkerchief to his face and had removed the bag of money.

But the police disbelieving his story took the employee into custody for questioning.