By Ruwani Fonseka Residents of the Karagampitiya area in Dehiwala took the law into their own hands when they caught two thieves who had raided a local hardware store in the area yesterday (13), The Morning learns. The thieves were caught and tied to the front gate of the S D S Jayasinghe Playground with placards hung around their necks which read 'Dehiwala Thieves'. Images depicting this were widely shared on social media. One area resident told The Morning that her home had been subjected to burglaries nearly eight times in the recent past and expressed displeasure over the inaction of the Sri Lanka Police in this regard. “The police do not even come when we call them,” she said. Meanwhile, Karagampitiya Police OIC Dushmantha Liyanage told The Morning that the thieves were released by the residents as none of the items from the hardware store had gone missing. He further blamed the residents for making such decisions to release them without consulting the area Grama Sevaka or Police. He also said that many robberies have been happening in the area and whenever these cases are taken to the Magistrate’s Court, the accused are released on bail. “The Prison is full. There is no place to put these petty thieves. Last month over 10,000 drug addicts and petty thieves were released due to overcrowding and the risk of the Covid-19 pandemic spreading further. If we go to put them back into prison, what is the point of releasing them?” he said. Liyanage further mentioned that there is no proper protocol when such petty crimes happen as the cycle is usually on where suspects are arrested, presented in Court and immediately released on bail.