A combined cordon and search operation was jointly conducted by team of Police and Army personnel at the Maligawatte National Housing Scheme last afternoon. Over 100 personnel were involved in this operation.

Speaking to the island, the police media spokesman, SSP Karunaratne, said that this type of search operation was nothing new in Colombo and its regularly undertaken in the Western Province in view of the Presidential Elections next month (January 26, 2010).

Irate residents told the Island that they were not even permitted to leave their homes to purchase provisions. They said that even their clothes cupboards, kitchen utensils, refrigerators, canisters and even inside shoes were searched.

The OIC of the Maligawatte Police Station, CI Chandana Garage, DIG of the special operations unit (Central), Herath and SSP Daya Samaraweera of the Colombo Central Division told the Island that they were unaware of any such operation.