Davulagala girl kidnapped for ransom

The main suspect in the Davulagala schoolgirl kidnapping incident was handed over to Davulagala police by Ampara police officers last night (13).

The suspect and the schoolgirl were scheduled to be produced before the Gampola Magistrate’s Court today (14) for further legal proceedings.

Speaking to the media at the police station, the father of the kidnapped girl categorically stated that there is no romantic relationship between his daughter and the suspect. Although the suspect is his nephew, he says that he does not know the other two people allegedly involved in the incident.

The girl’s father further alleged that the kidnapping was carried out only as part of a conspiracy to extort money.

31-year-old Mohamed Nassar, a resident of Kahatapitiya, Gampola, who kidnapped an 18-year-old schoolgirl in Davulagala, Kandy on January 11, was arrested by the police on Monday (13). It was while he was on a luxury bus that was due to depart for Kandy at the Ampara bus stand.

The police had found that the suspect was in Ampara by analyzing the suspect’s mobile phone data. Acting on that information, the police deployed five teams and arrested the suspect and the schoolgirl on January 13 at around 9.30 am.

According to initial statements, the suspect has stated that the kidnapping was due to a family dispute.

The suspect has said that he worked in Japan for two years and that he had given some money to the girl’s father, his uncle, but he did not return the money.

After kidnapping the girl, the young man is said to have also demanded a ransom of Rs. 5 million from the girl’s father.