Robbers wore police uniforms

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 April 1999, 20:32 GMT]
Six persons in Sri Lankan Police uniforms robbed a passenger bus from Ampara town to Colombo in the early hours of the morning today around 3.30 a.m. said Police sources.

The robbers had stopped the bus and got in claiming they were looking for LTTE suspects among the passengers.

Then they had relieved the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala travellers of their gold jewellery, cash and other valuables.

The gang had also dragged a young woman behind the bus and molested her before vanishing into the jungles.

Police sources in Ampara said that army deserters may have been involved in this highway robbery.

They said that seventy six passengers were travelling in the bus to Colombo.