Smuggler hid 32 gems in his alimentary canal

A Sri Lankan businessman was caught trying to smuggle out of the country 32 gemstones worth SLRs8 million concealed in his rectum, the ‘Mirror’ newspaper has reported

He was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Friday night, the newspaper said.

A resident of Beruwala, a popular destination for gem dealers, the 56 year-old man had arrived at the airport to board a flight to Singapore at 11.30pm.

Customs said nine different kinds of gemstones were hidden in a a condom inserted in his rectum.

Meanwhile, a Chinese woman was arrested on Friday at the same airport trying to smuggle out gemstones worth SLRs4.2 million, the ‘Colombo Gazette’ reported.

Customs officers, who found the gemstones in her luggage, said the 35-year-old woman was to travel to Shanghai.

She claimed that she was unaware that gem stones could not be taken out of the country undeclared but airport authorities found that she had travelled between Sri Lanka and China at least four times..

Man held for strangling woman to death

A 27-year-old Sri Lankan man, who had been evading arrest for more than a year after strangling a 58-year-old woman to death, has been arrested by Kalutara South Police, the ‘Mirror’ reported.

Said to be a friend of the victim’s son, the culprit has confessed to the police that he strangled the woman to death on November 27, 2011 near Welapura College in Kalutara.

Police said the culprit killed the victim following an argument after the two had sexual intercourse.

 

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