Colombo, January 24 – Police have arrested a 23-year-old Sudanese national of Eritrean origin in connection with a series of thefts at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Colombo. The suspect, identified as Khalid Riyal Muheideen, was taken into custody near a major casino in the city.
According to police investigations, Muheideen targeted four offices on the 26th floor of the East Tower in the early hours of January 17. CCTV footage revealed that he entered the premises around 1:00 a.m., dressed formally and wearing a face mask. He allegedly used keys retrieved from keyboards to unlock office doors and steal laptops and mobile phones worth nearly Rs. 3 million.
A key clue that led to his arrest was a peculiar act committed during the thefts—Muheideen wrote the word “BATMAN” on the walls of each office he burglarized. This unusual signature prompted investigators to review CCTV footage and scrutinize social media accounts of individuals linked to the WTC. Their search led them to a Facebook profile featuring multiple “BATMAN” images, ultimately identifying Muheideen as the prime suspect.
Upon his arrest, Muheideen confessed to the crimes, stating that he was familiar with the WTC’s layout and security systems due to his father’s previous business operations at the complex. He also admitted to selling the stolen goods at low prices to finance his gambling activities at casinos.
Fort Police have successfully recovered the stolen items and continue further investigations into the case.