Gold-Plated T-56: New Details Emerge

COLOMBO (News 1st); Two women have been taken into custody in connection with the discovery of a gold-plated T-56 assault rifle at a residential complex in the Wellawatte area.

The suspects include a 68-year-old woman residing in Colombo 6, who is believed to have been in possession of the weapon, and a 40-year-old woman from Battaramulla.

What is this weapon?

The gold-plated T-56 assault rifle was discovered by police on Tuesday (20) afternoon following a tip-off received via the emergency hotline.

The weapon was identified during a security check conducted by a guard at a luxury apartment complex in Wellawatte, after a 40-year-old woman attempted to enter the premises carrying the firearm.

Police later arrested both the 40-year-old woman and her 68-year-old mother-in-law, who resides in the apartment complex.

The arrest was made following the security officer’s intervention and subsequent inspection.

Who are these women?

The 40-year-old woman has been identified as a Kazakh national residing in Battaramulla.

The 68-year-old woman is her husband’s mother.

Investigations have revealed that the husband is currently employed in Qatar.

What happened?

The Kazakh woman reportedly arrived at the Wellawatte apartment complex around 9 a.m. yesterday (20) in a rental vehicle to visit her mother-in-law, who lives alone.

According to police, there was no indication that she was carrying a firearm when she entered the premises.

After visiting the apartment, she returned alone to the vehicle parking area.

Investigations revealed that she was carrying a bag containing the T-56 rifle at that time.

Police stated that she removed the rifle from the bag and placed it in the rear of the vehicle with her mother-inlaw, while the now-empty bag was placed in the front.

The two women then traveled to a shoe store on Kompanna Veediya and later visited a popular shopping mall near Town Hall.

Afterward, they visited to the Borella Public Cemetery, where they reportedly visited the grave of the 68-year-old woman’s daughter, who had died five years ago after falling from the same Wellawatte apartment complex.

Upon returning to the apartment complex, the 40-year-old woman was again seen carrying the T-56 rifle.

As they entered the elevator from the lower floor, the security officer questioned them about the weapon. The women claimed it was a toy.

The security officer, a former military personnel, requested to inspect the weapon.

Upon confirming it was a real T-56 assault rifle, he immediately alerted the police.

Why a T-56?

While police suspect the weapon may have been intended for criminal use, no definitive conclusion has been reached.

Authorities noted that the serial numbers on various parts of the rifle do not match, raising further suspicion.

Both women remain in custody as investigations continue.