வரலாற்றுச் சிறப்புமிக்க அனுராதபுரம் ருவன்வெலிசாய மகா சாய விகாரையின் கோபுர உச்சியில் அமைந்துள்ள சூடாமணிக்கல்லில் பதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த, சுமார் 1,500 கோடி ரூபா அதிக்கூடிய சந்தை மதிப்புடைய அரிய இரத்தினக்கற்கள் திட்டமிட்டுக் கொள்ளையடிக்கப்பட்டமை குறித்து, குற்றப் புலனாய்வுத் திணைக்களத்…

A new complaint was filed with the Criminal Investigation Department yesterday (26) regarding the planned theft of rare gemstones with a market value of approximately Rs. 1,500 crores, which were embedded in the Sudamanikal stone located at the top of the tower of the historic Ruwanwelisaya Maha Saya Viharaya in Anuradhapura. The new petition was handed over in person at the CID headquarters by Venerable Maliyadeva Thero, Venerable Isuruminiye Siddhartha Thero of the 'Shiv Heu Bodu Paura' organization, and prominent civil society activist Thulan Senathira. The petitioners of the Ruwanwelisaya Maha Saya Viharaya have expressed their views to the media regarding this matter. During the past year 2020, the original Sudamanikal, which is several decades old, of the Ruwanwelisaya Maha Saya Viharaya was secretly removed and replaced with a fake Sudamanikal at the top of the tower. During this illegal change, all the precious gems worth about 1,500 crore rupees that were embedded in the original Sudamanikal were completely stolen. The complaint directly accuses Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, who was the in-charge of the Ruwanweliseya Viharaya at that time, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and prominent businessman Viranjith Thambugala, who is currently facing various financial fraud charges, of orchestrating this grand robbery by using their close political and diplomatic connections. Although a complaint was filed with the Criminal Investigation Department regarding this matter during the previous Good Governance and Podujana Peramuna regimes, the then political influence of the government was used to 'put ink on the thief's mother'. The civil activists pointed out that the then Director of the CID had arrested and imprisoned the civil society representatives who had complained in retaliation. They also alleged that at the unfortunate moment when the original Sutamanikal of Maha Saya was removed, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had taken office as the President of the country before Ruwanwelisewa, and that his karma had been fully paid for this betrayal of the sacred place. The complainants have urgently requested the current Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Shani Abeysekera, to immediately initiate a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter, as the new government is now in office and law and order are being properly established in the country. Civil society organizations and the Maha Sangha have urged the government to appoint a special intelligence team to investigate this horrific fraud at the highest place of worship for Buddhists, expedite the investigation, and ensure that all the culprits involved are brought to justice.