Police arrest Sri Lanka’s ‘cobra girl’ after return from Thailand

Sri Lankan Nirosha Wimlarathna, known as the ‘cobra girl’, was arrested by Kollupitiya Police on Tuesday at a hotel in Bambalapitiya, police said.

It is reported that she returned from Thailand in the early hours of Tuesday.

She was produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate Prasanna Alwis, who ordered to release the suspect on Rs50,000 personal bail. 

Two days ago, the Colombo Fort Magistrate turned down a police request to direct the Controller of Immigration and Emigration to arrest Nirosha when she returns to the country.

Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya had on April 4 issued a warrant for Nirosha’s arrest for not being present in court to answer charges in the case where she is alleged to have had a cobra in her room at a Kollupitiya nightclub.

The Kollupitiya police informed the court that the suspect had violated court orders by leaving the country and that they were unable to find out her permanent address.

Mom suffocates newborn to death with a coin

Colombo: A tragic incident of a mother allegedly killing her own 11-day old infant has been reported from Kandy Magistrate Courts, ‘Mirror’ reported on Monday.

The mother allegedly killed the infant by making the little one swallow a coin and then letting the child suffocate to death.

During the trial by Kandy Magistrate Ravindra Premaratne, it was revealed that the parents were not financially sound to bring up the baby.

The woman (26), who was arrested by the Thalatuoya Police, has been kept under remand custody until April 18.
 
It is said that the husband had left the woman, a mute, along with their eldest child and said to be living in Nawalapitiya. (Correspondent)

Two inhale toxic gas inside gully, dies

Colombo: Two persons while cleaning a gully in Attidiya, Dehiwala, a suburb of Colombo, were killed yesterday April 7 while attempting to clean a clogged disposal gully connected to a hotel, the police said.

‘Divaina’ newspaper reported on Monday that one of the victims fell unconscious when he had climbed down into the gully while the second person had fallen into the gully as he attempted to save the other cleaner.

According to the police, a third person, who went down to rescue the others, was hospitalised after inhaling what was believed to be toxic gas.

The dead has been identified as Rajendra Yogakumar (32) from Welmotor Estate, Agarapatana and Verumal Sundara Dasam (33) from Metigahatennawewa Bedda area while the person who was admitted has been identified as Shanmuganathan (36) from Agrapatana area. (Correspondent)

Dh8.7m fine for importing cigarettes

Colombo: The Customs officials last week imposed a fine of Rs 330 million [Dh8.7m] each on two businessmen who had illegally imported cigarettes worth Rs110 million under the guise of importing furniture, ‘Lankadeepa’ newspaper reported.

This has been the highest fine imposed by the Customs in the recent past as there were 4.5 million cigarettes in the container, according to the Customs sources.

Customs Director Mali Piyasena took the container into his custody on April 4 and the investigations were conducted by Deputy Customs Director J. P. Chandraratne assisted by Assistant Superintendents of Customs Sagara Mahanama and Lal Weerakone.

The two businessmen, who were from Nattandiya and Colombo, were ordered to be remanded by Colombo Fort Magistrate as they were unable to pay the fine while the stock of cigarettes was confiscated. (Correspondent)

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