Life of Silibiris 33

Pachcha Sira and Vije had been sent to prison for 10 years and 5 years respectively for armed robbery.


They had already served over a year in prison when the Appeal was taken up for hearing.


On this particular day, they were being transported by the blue prison van along with a few other criminals from Welikada prison to the Courts in Aluthakade.



The prison van driver and the guards had taken this route a countless time. They followed the same route as usual. As the driver took the bend around Gamini Hall he noticed a cyclist had been knocked down by a black Morris Minor Taxi which happened to be driven by non-other than Taxi Abey.


The cyclist looked unconscious, sprawled in the middle of the road.


A crowd had gathered shouting at the Taxi demanding the driver get out of the car. As prison van approached the scene, the crowd managed to drag the driver Abey and started beating him up.


The prison guard’s instant reaction was to get out the van to try and break up the fight so that they can get around the accident scene.



As the guards got out of the prison van with their WWII rifles, two passengers sitting in the Taxi jumped out started shooting at them using hand guns.


Guards fell.


The crowd ran, including the fallen cyclist who was feigning injury.


Abey moved with lighting speed to snatch the prison van door keys. He opened the back door quickly letting Pachcha Sira, Vije and other prisoners out.


The single guard still sitting in a daze in the back of the van opened fire hitting Sira on the chest but missed Vije with the second shot.


Abey and the two accomplices bundled profusely bleeding Pachcha Sira and Vije into the Taxi and sped away along McCallum Road.



The secret plan that had been hatched at Margaret Nona’s funeral almost worked.




Almost.