Over 9.5 Kg Gold Missing From Kataragama shrine

by Kasun Pussewala-Tuesday, September 06, 2016

Sashendra and D P Kumarage and Nilanga

Over 9.5 Kg of gold is said to have gone missing from the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Temple, sources revealed to The Sunday Leader.

Sources said that the gold had gone missing when the shrine was handed over to Shasheendra Rajapaksa in 2006 by the then Basnayake Nilame, Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara.

The exact amount of gold gifted to the Temple was not taken note of at the time, sources further added.

When contacted, the current Basnayake Nilame, K. G. Kumarage told The Sunday Leader that he has already made a statement to the police over the missing gold. He said that the Criminal Investigations Department has recorded a statement from him over the incident and that the missing gold is estimated to be nearly 9.5 kg.

The Basnayake Nilame said that since he took office in April last year he has made it a point to record the gold gifted to the Temple.

He said that devotees who gift gold are given receipts for the gold they hand over in order to keep a record of the gold.

K. G. Kumarage said that since investigations into the missing gold are underway, he did not wish to comment further.

When contacted by The Sunday Leader, Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara said that he had handed over all the gold in the Temple to Shasheendra Rajapaksa in 2006.

Bandara said that he was not aware of so much gold going missing after he ended his term at the Temple.

Former Basnayake Nilame Shasheendra Rajapaksa said that he had handed over all the gold to the Bank of Ceylon branch in Tissamaharama.

Rajapaksa said that officials of the Office of the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs were present when the gold was placed in the bank safe.