Police have seized two illegal luxury vehicles—a BMW sports car and a Mitsubishi Pajero Jeep—hidden at the home of former Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena’s son-in-law in Kandy. The vehicles, worth nearly 60 million rupees, were reportedly taken out of the port without paying customs duty and were kept without proper registration or documents.
The police acted on a public complaint made to the 1997 hotline, which reported two suspicious vehicles hidden in the Aruppola area. The raid, led by Chief Inspector Tilak Samaranayake under the instructions of Senior Superintendent of Police Anuruddha Bandara, resulted in the seizure of the vehicles and the questioning of Rohitha’s son-in-law.
Rohitha Abeygunawardena, the former Ports Minister, is alleged to have helped smuggle the vehicles out of the port. His son-in-law, who is married to Rohitha’s daughter, was previously involved in his staff. He is also the son of a well-known car dealer in Kandy.
This seizure comes just a week after police confiscated a stolen BMW belonging to Johnston Fernando, another political figure, at the Hilton hotel. Investigations are ongoing, and police are currently searching for Johnston Fernando, who has yet to give a statement.
Criticism Follow Appointment of Rohitha Abeygunawardena as COPE Committee Chairman
