A 60-year-old dual citizen of Sri Lanka and Canada was apprehended at the Katunayake Airport (BIA) yesterday for having stolen a handbag, containing money and mobile phones, belonging to a fellow passenger.
It is reported that the woman’s handbag was reported missing shortly after the aircraft from the United Kingdom had landed in Sri Lanka. The missing handbag contained £ 2,700, two new iPhones, and two new Samsung phones.
Noticing the missing handbag, the woman had alerted the airline staff who had conducted a search operation of the aircraft, and as the handbag was not found the airport authorities were informed.
Investigators from SriLankan Airlines, along with BIA Police officers, conducted a search of the passengers and their luggage, eventually finding the handbag in the possession of the 60-year-old man.
The man, an accountant residing in Canada and originally from Jaffna, was found to have used part of the stolen cash to purchase six bottles of whiskey and three bottles of perfume on the plane, while the remaining cash, along with the mobile phones, were found inside the handbag.
The suspect was handed over to the BIA Police by SriLankan Airlines investigators, while both the suspect and stolen items are to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court. (Islandnews)
