You may remember how a racket which took place in Marawila owned by a German national, where girls working in Garments were sold as prostitutes on the pretext of selling tele-actresses.
How the police operated is akin to a drama.
Further information about it is published below.
Sub Inspector Dumminda Balasuriya, OIC of the Panadura, Walana Vice Squad Task Force received a message a few days ago. It was by a person who was known to him. He was actually a friend of the Inspector.
"Sir, film actresses are being sold at a luxury hotel in Marawila. But they are not offered to locals; only to foreigners. The charges are very high."
According to the information received, the Inspector decided to make an investigation about the hotel. As such, he called two of the officers in the unit
and asked them to report to him whether actually such activities are taking place in the said hotel. The two of them who went to Walahapitiya,about 4 km. from Marawila, engaged in a dialogue with three-wheel drivers who were hovering around the area and in a congenial manner was able to elicit information about any secretive businesses happening within the said hotel.
The hotel which was a sort of mansion in Walahapitiya consisted of about 30 rooms. It was a luxury hotel equipped with a swimming pool, a gym and massage clinic. The police officers after finding out this information the conveyed it to the OIC by meeting him.
"Sir, the story is true. But the girls are offered only to foreigners. Locals are not even permitted to enter the place. Rooms are therefore offered to foreigners. All transactions are carried out in dollars.
When the officers said all this, the police made further investigations. Another police officer was able to find further information through the internet. The police were thus able to procure a pamphlet which provided details of the hotel and then perused the names of females and their telephone numbers appearing there.
The hotel belonged to a German. In addition there is also a lady in Sri Lanka who happens to operate as a Director. Since the owner is a German female, friendly Germans of hers used to make frequent visits to the hotel.
The Inspector who checked all these details then phoned the females in the leaflet saying that he had just now returned from abroad. "I came to Sri Lanka from Afghanistan. Three of my friends from Afghanistan will be coming to Sri Lanka in the near future. All of them are Afghans. We saw your details in the internet.They like to stay there. They'll spend well. How can the rooms be booked?" When the sub-inspector related all this, the Directress gulped everything and responded with something like this: "When your friends come, tell them that there's no problem. There is a Manager called Wasantha. Speak to him. He'll do everything.
The SI spoke as if he was from abroad. He then spoke to Wasantha who was supposed to be the Manager. "It's better if you come and talk about it more than by discussing it over the phone. Come, I'll do any help for you".
It was the same SI from Walana who went on this occasion and disguised. Wasantha was unaware of all this.
"The point is this. Those Afghans stay in Sri Lanka only for 2 weeks. Can't speak a word of English. They come here only to get some fun. They'll spend enough money." "Come after they arrive. I'll arrange everything" the Manager said. Both parties then exchanged phone numbers. The following day dawned. The SI gave a call to the Manager. He said that one of his friends would be coming on a flight to Sri Lanka that night.
"Right, we'll first give him a room. We'll see the rest after he comes," the Manager said.After that the Walana unit prepared itself in a manner that no secret was to go out. It was a police constable of the unit who was chosen as the Afghan national. In appearance he did not look a Sri Lankan at all. Actually he looked more like an Afghan.
"There is a laptop here that is not working. Take that also and go. But don't tell a word of this to anybody. Act as if you don't know even English." Such was the advice given to the p.c. by SI Dummunda Balasuriya.
" After that we arranged two teams. We also gave a brand new car to the 'Afghan' friend and the SI and sent them to the hotel. We also arranged another team with SI Dharmasiri". So explained SI Balasuriya, describing how the raid was launched.
It was after that the motor car which carried the 'Afghan' entered the hotel at Walahapitiya.
"See, this is the person I told you of. He can't speak a word of English. There's no English in that country," said the SI to the Manager, pointing at the youth.
"So give a room. No problem about the price. Here's the money". When the transaction was over, the 'Afghan' entered the hotel. On seeing the luxury room he seemed to be so happy.In the meantime, the Manager and the 'Afghan' national's friend entered into a chat in the lounge.
"Not that, can't you fix a girl for him?" the Afghan's friend suggested to the Manager. "This is the point. We don't bring ordinary girls to this lace. We bring only actresses because of the foreigners," and then he went on saying a list of names of popular actors who used to frequent the hotel. "How much do these girls take?" "Ten thousand. But they stay only for one hour. Don't you know they come in secret no."
"No problem about the money. He has enough money. But they must be film stars for sure. Wait a little, I'll ask and come." Having spoken to the 'Afghan' in the room for a while, his friend once more met the Manager.
"He wants three girls." "No problem. We'll bring and give. But must pay 10,000 for one girl and can't wait a night. Can wait only one hour". "No harm, we'll give the money".
In the meantime, the police engaged in another activity. They had reported all the information to the Marawila courts and a search warrant was obtained without anybody's knowledge. The officers in possession of the warrant were hovering around Marawila and its environs expecting a call at any moment from the disguised 'Afghan' or the SI who acts as his friend.
The time was past 1.30 in the afternoon. However, contrary to what was discussed earlier, there was no sign of the actresses. "Why what's the problem?" "No, no, three of the actresses we know have gone on shooting today. Can't get them right now. So till they come we'll get three air hostesses." "True? Where do they stay? No harm who it is, but we want quickly," said the disguised SI to Manager Wasantha."Those who came on the last flight will be off from duties in a short time. They'll get here on their own in their own vehicle. What do you say?"
"Doesn't matter, bring them. My friend is upset." Having dropped the idea about film actresses, they were awaiting the arrival of the air hostesses. At the same time, the police officers who were ready to launch the raid were uneasy because of the delay and the time was almost 7.30 in the night.
"Will they get some more late?" the SI asked the hotel Manager. "No, they'll be here in a quarter of an hour. It's okay now, they have come in the flight and have gone to change in the hotel".
Only a moment passed. Though it was earlier said that they would arrive in their staff vehicle, it was a three-wheeler that happened to stop near the hotel. "There ... they've come." "Right, here's the money. The Manager received thirty thousand rupees. Within two or three minutes the girls entered the room where the 'Afghan' was. The girls who saw the 'Afghan' who was clad in a towel began to say something to each other.
"We can't understand a word of what he says. How can we three spend the time with him? Doesn't matter, we are getting money no." Though they tried to speak with him, they in turn don't understand the language that he says. While they were cuddling beside him on the bed, saying many nice things, his friend the disguised SI gave a call to the police officers outside the hotel and in utmost secrecy.
"Come on, it's okay." Only a moment passed. The jeep with the police officers stopped in the hotel premises. The Manager as well as the three-wheel owner who brought the girls on seeing the police vehicle were taken absolutely by surprise. "Don't try to play with us. We're from Walana." Everyone's eyes shot up because those happened to be the words of none other than the friend of the 'Afghan' himself. It was only then that the Manager realised that the person was a police officer.
On his instructions the police entered the room in which the 'Afghan' was. The three girls who were with the 'Afghan' was stupefied. "Don't shout, we're from the police." When the officer said so, the 'Afghan' who was until that time clad only in a towel round his waist, removed it and began to put on his shirt and trouser without any sign of surprise.
"We waited four hours without speaking a word sir," the girls said. The officers who heard this could not but help bursting with laughter.
"You're a real Afghan. All of them got played out." The girls as well as the Manager was dumbfounded to realise that the man who played the role of the Afghan was actually a police officer. The police who took everybody into custody put the broken laptop too into the jeep. It was to the Marawila Police that the jeep first of all drove carrying the girls, the Manager and the three-wheel driver. There everybody's statements were recorded.
It was understood by the police that all three girls were no air hostesses. They were in fact garment-girls from a Katunayaka factory. "We came after work sir. We don't come here every day. The salary we earn from the Garment job is not enough. That's why we come here once in a way and earn something," one of the girls said. "That means a parttime job isn't it? How much do you earn from this?" "About 5,000 from one person sir".
One girl was 19 years old. She was a resident of Hiniduma. The police say that she who seduced by her lover when she got pregnant from him. Finally, after an abortion was performed, she had found a job in the Garment industry. In addition to her job there, it was her lover himself who had introduced her to this kind of prostitution-work. Her lover, according to her also is from Hiniduma.
The other girl is a resident of the Siripura area in Dehiaththakanda. She had been married and divorced. She too who is a garment-worker earns an extra income by engaging in a parttime job such as this. That too not all by herself but with a sister who is a relative of hers. The latter too is a resident of
Dehiaththakandiya. She is 26 years old and unmarried. "What I earn from the Zone is not enough. That's why I came here to earn something more. We don't go everywhere sir. It's because I couldn't pay the 'seettu' money that I came here with my sister for this job." Though she said all this in tears, she got no pardon from the police. After the 3 girls and the 2 suspects were produced in Courts they were remanded. The OIC of the Walana unit says that further
investigations are being conducted in order to find out whether this business was carried on with the knowledge of the owners of the hotel and also to get the telephone report and sexually transmitted diseases report.
The raid was conducted under the directions of OIC Dumminda Balasuriya with the participation of SIs Sarath Dharmasiri, R.M. Karunaratna and WPC Shanika (9196).
