Sri Lanka Police arrest three in fuel hoarding raids across three areas

2026-03-27 - 03:53

AI-generated image Sri Lanka Police on March 26, 2026, arrested three suspects in Negombo, Puthukkudiyiruppu, and Hingurakgoda for possessing large quantities of diesel and kerosene without licenses. The seized stock included 1,995 liters of kerosene and 1,050 liters of diesel. The suspects were apprehended in separate police raids conducted in different parts of the country over the illegal possession of fuel without valid licenses. In the first incident, around noon, officers from the Negombo Police Station conducted a raid in the Negombo Lagoon based on received information. During the operation, police arrested a 57-year-old resident of Negombo who was found in possession of 1,050 liters of diesel without a license inside a fishing vessel. In another raid carried out the same day in the evening, officers from the Puthukkudiyiruppu Police Station arrested a 36-year-old resident of the Udayarkaddu area in a raid conducted in Suthanthirapuram, within the Puthukkudiyiruppu Police Division. Police stated that the suspect was in possession of 562 liters of diesel without a license. In a separate incident reported around noon on the same day, officers from the Hingurakgoda Police Station conducted a raid in the Yaya 07 area of the Hingurakgoda Police Division. During the operation, a 36-year-old resident of Jayanthipura was arrested for possessing 1,995 liters of kerosene without a license. Further investigations into all three incidents are being carried out by the Negombo, Puthukkudiyiruppu, and Hingurakgoda police, respectively.