A group of individuals have been arrested for attempting to rebuild the hotel that was demolished in Dehiwala in January this year after it was identified as an illegal construction in the coastal area.
The group, arrested while engaging in reconstruction activities at the hotel premises on Tuesday (May 14), were remanded until 28 May after being produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court.
It is reported that they were arrested over accusations that the letter claiming to be from the Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management permitting reconstruction was fake.
Commenting on the arrests, the Police clarified that the group had been arrested based on a court order.
The Police further said that the arrested individuals had no rights over the said property and were not entitled to engage in construction activities.
The hotel, allegedly belonging to a drug peddler, was demolished in January 2024 following a raid conducted during the Police Special Operation ‘Yukthiya’ to curb drug-related activities in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)
