Police investigations have revealed that the 38 Pound gold plate allegedly lost at the Kataragama Devalaya was donated by woman who has close connections with the party of the Angoda Lokka , an underworld figure , who died in India a few months ago.
It has been revealed that the gold plate was donated to the Devalaya in the year 2019 and the 38 pound gold plate was offered to prove a vow made for the illness of a small child.
The woman, a resident of the Kolonna area in Ratnapura, had come to Kataragama with several others and a child and had stayed at a hotel and informed the Devalaya of her offerings through the chef who worked there.
Police investigations have revealed that the 38 pound gold plate has since been donated to the Devalaya. Investigations carried out by the Colombo Crimes Division have further revealed that the offering was accepted by Somipala Ratnayake, the Chief Kapu of the Devalaya.
Dilshan Gunasekera, the Basnayake Nilame of the Kataragama Devalaya had lodged a complaint with the police regarding the disappearance of the gold plate.
While investigations were being carried out, an outsider who had visited the Basnayake Nilame’s office on October 26 had brought a gold plate and handed it over to the Administrative Secretary of the Devalaya, claiming that it was in the house of the Chief Kapu of the Devalaya.
At present this gold plate is kept in the Devalaya and the Chief Kapu Mr. Somipala Ratnayake states that no such gold plate was handed over from his house. The Chief Kapu has also stated that he is not foolish enough to send a gold plate to the Devalaya in the hands of an outsider.
He had said that the man had said that the gold plate had been handed over by a brother of the Kapu, who is in charge of the Devalaya’s stores .
However Chief Kapu Somipala Ratnayake has stated that legal action will be taken against the person who allegedly brought the gold disc from his house.
He added that he was working to provide the CID with information on who made the gold plate and how it came to be.
However, as revealed to Lankasara, investigations are still underway regarding the gold plate on which the Devalaya was kept.
