FUNERAL PARLOUR EMPLOYEES ROB SHOPS USING HEARSE WITH A CORPSE

Police have arrested two men in Nawalapitiya for allegedly using a hearse, containing a body, to carry out a string of robberies.

The suspects, an embalmer and a driver from a local funeral parlour, are accused of parking the hearse near businesses, breaking in, and stealing cash and valuables. They reportedly used the presence of a corpse in the vehicle to avoid suspicion from the public and the police.

In their most recent robbery, the pair broke into a jewellery shop in Nawalapitiya town, stealing jewellery and the CCTV camera's digital video recorder.

Following their arrest, police discovered their involvement in a larger crime spree. The suspects admitted to using bodies entrusted to the funeral parlour to facilitate their heists, without the knowledge of the parlour's owner.

During the investigation, police recovered jewellery worth more than 3.8 million Sri Lankan Rupees from the funeral parlour's embalming room and from pawning centres across Anuradhapura, Kandy, Ginigathena, and Mihintale.

The investigation was conducted by the Nawalapitiya Police, led by Officer-in-Charge Harendra Kalugampiriya.