The number of thefts of automobiles, spare parts and livestock is growing. There is also an increase in the number of homicides. According to experts, these are the consequences of the financial situation that has gripped the country for months.
Colombo () – Police statistics show that in Sri Lanka there has been an increase in crime in the last year due to the economic crisis. Law enforcement agencies especially note an increase in vehicle theft: as of September, there were 1,406 cases of vehicle theft, including 12 buses, 25 vans, 16 trucks, 14 cars, 311 three-wheelers, 1,016 motorcycles and 12 other another type.
According to transport service companies, vehicle thefts have increased since the price of parts skyrocketed. Percy Perera, a man who lives in the capital, says that on November 6, while he was attending mass at the San Antonio shrine in Kochchikade, thieves stole two side windows of his car. “I filed a complaint, but so far I have not received a satisfactory response,” he told .
The number of homicides has also increased: in nine months, Sri Lanka registered 435 murders, while last year the total was 403. According to police reports, there has been an increase in gang-related shootings. For economists, it is likely due to financial difficulties.
Piyasiri Somaratne, in his 60s, owns a poultry farm in Kuliyapitiya province. In dialogue with says that cattle, chicken and goat farmers are making great efforts to protect their livestock from thieves.
“We have to protect our livelihoods day and night. We must always be vigilant,” Piyasiri said. “At the beginning of the crisis it was very difficult to access a meal a day. We, who have always lived eating and drinking well, are left speechless by the destruction caused by these politicians and the government.”
Piyasiri adds that the expenses also increased, because to protect the farm it is necessary to keep the lights on until dawn, both in the chicken coop and in the barn. “Then, at the end of the month, we received an electricity bill of four or five thousand rupees [11 o 13,80 euros]. Faced with this, we have to ask ourselves if we are going to live or die”.
