Fashion Bug was not the target of mob attack

Inquiries into the unrest in Pepiliyana on Thursday night revealed that the warehouse of the ‘Fashion Bug’ clothing outlet which suffered damages, was not the main focus of the mob attack, but a Backhoe yard situated nearby.

The Police said that three persons have been arrested in relation to the incident.

The mob attack had stemmed from an ongoing case regarding a police complaint over a love affair and alleged abuse of a girl by an employee of the backhoe yard.

The backhoe yard situated on the main Pepiliyana-Kohuwala road was torched by the mob at around 8.00 p.m. damaging the property and the vehicles parked in the yard.

Eyewitnesses said more than 400 people were standing outside while the mob were on rampage.

The entire episode was triggered after an employee of the yard who is also a Muslim was caught having a relationship with a 15 year old Sinhalese girl in a nearby house and alleged to rape her.

The parents of the girl had lodged a complaint with the Police alleging rape, after which the suspect was arrested and remanded three days earlier.

However, the father of the girl, a trishaw driver, had allegedly incited the others over incident after which the incident had taken a racial twist.

It was after this that the mob had directed their attention towards the Fashion Bug warehouse, situated about 150 meters away.

The mob had pelted stones damaging the windows and a few of them had got into the clothes stores and damaged it.

There was heavy Police, CID and STF presence in and around the vicinity of the clothing store .

Police spokesman S.P. Budhdika Siriwardena said many Police teams have been deployed to apprehend the culprits.

“Police teams headed by DIG Anura Senanayake have been deployed to investigate the incident. The Police have been receiving information and we hope to make a breakthrough soon,” he said.