• Shotgun, ammunition, hand grenades, two body armour suits found 
• Woman at residence also taken into custody 
• First time body armour found linked to organised criminal activity 

The Homagama Police yesterday raided a residence in Pitipana and took into custody a large cache of weapons. 

The haul included a 12-gauge repeater Shotgun, two body armour vests, 77 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 7 foreign-manufactured hand grenades, and shotgun ammunition from the property. A female suspect residing at the residence was also taken into custody. 

The find came after the STF found a haul of 12 assault rifles at a commercial property on Monday, following an investigation into organised criminals wanted for a murder investigation. The Homagama Police conducted the raid yesterday after receiving intelligence from the State Intelligence Service, SSP Jaliya Senaratne said. 

It is the first time in recent history that body armour was found in relation to organised criminal activity, SSP Senaratne said. The investigation has been taken over by the CID.