14 Arrested for Illegal Gem Mining in Bagawantalawa, Maskeliya

COLOMBO (News1st);Fourteen individuals have been arrested for illegal gem mining in the Bagawantalawa and Maskeliya areas.

Police stated that nine suspects were arrested along with mining equipment during a raid carried out in the Keselgamuwa Reserve for mining gems without a valid license.

The arrested suspects, aged between 27 and 59, are residents of Bagawantalawa, Pelmadulla, Opanayaka, Ratnapura, Kuruwita, and Hatton.

Meanwhile, five more individuals were arrested for unlicensed gem mining during a raid conducted in the Brownswatta area in Maskeliya.

They have been identified as residents of Balangoda.