By K.R. Rajapamantri The Kappetipola Police have arrested three suspects, including a beef stall owner from Bandarawela, after a 12‑day investigation into cattle thefts in the Welimada area. Police complaints indicate that about 100 cattle have been stolen from various parts of Uva Province in recent weeks. The suspects, from Galle and Matara, allegedly targeted [...]
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The Kappetipola Police have arrested three suspects, including a beef stall owner from Bandarawela, after a 12‑day investigation into cattle thefts in the Welimada area.
Police complaints indicate that about 100 cattle have been stolen from various parts of Uva Province in recent weeks.
The suspects, from Galle and Matara, allegedly targeted dairy cattle kept in sheds across Welimada villages. Reports show cattle had been disappearing at night for nearly six weeks in Pelliwinna, Erabadda, and Hettigedara.
Following the complaints, Kappetipola Police Chief Inspector and Officer-in-Charge J.M. Thusitha Kumara launched an investigation, on the instructions of Bandarawela Senior Superintendent Mayura Perera and Assistant Superintendent I.M. Udayakumara.
“We interviewed cattle owners and examined around 130 CCTV cameras along the route from Kappetipola through Welimada town to Bandarawela and Ella,” the OIC said. He said they visited slaughterhouses and beef shops in the Bandarawela area. An analysis of telephone records using GPS technology led police to two suspects from Galle and Matara.
Police said the thefts were carried out at the request of the beef shop owner. The suspects confessed they studied the locations by day and stole cattle in the pre‑dawn hours. Stolen cattle were transported in a van covered with thick cover and sold for Rs 140,000 each, though the actual price ranged between Rs 400,000 and Rs 500,000.
Dairy farmers reported heavy financial losses due to the theft. H.M. Sumanawathi (64) of Erabadda said her cow worth Rs. 1 million, which earned Rs. 40,000–50,000 monthly in milk sales, was stolen along with its calf.
Since dairy cattle provide livelihood support, many dairy farmers take great care of their cattle.
B.M. Padmasiri Mahindarathna (61), a dairy farmer from Erabadda, Kappetipola, said dairy farming was his family’s only source of income. He said he had used a large iron padlock and a chain to secure his cow after he heard several complaints about cattle thefts. He said he would wake up several times in the night to ensure the cow was safe.
H.A. Ruwan Kapila Kumara (41), a dairy farmer from Pellawinna, Kappetipola, said he earned around Rs 100,000 a month by selling milk. He said the rising cases of cattle theft prompted him to build a small hut near his cattle shed for him to keep watch.
All three suspects were produced in the Welimada Magistrate’s Court and remanded until September 21.
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