28th December 2025 12:19:12 Hours
At around 2100 hrs on 24 December 2025, a women’s purse that had fallen on the ground within the Anuradhapura Sacred City area was recovered by the Civil Affairs Officer of the 21 Infantry Division.
Immediate efforts were made to trace the owner of the purse; however, these attempts were initially unsuccessful. Although the purse did not contain a National Identity Card or any other official identification documents, it contained a piece of paper with a handwritten telephone number and a sum of Rs. 13,600.00 in cash.
Upon contacting the telephone number, a Muslim man residing in the Medawala area of Kandy responded. Subsequent inquiries and coordination led to the identification of the rightful owner an approximately 78-year-old Muslim woman who had travelled from Medawala to Anuradhapura to visit a relative.
Accordingly, on 25 December 2025, coinciding with Christmas Day and further strengthening inter-ethnic harmony, the elderly woman was invited to the Headquarters of the 21 Infantry Division. The purse, together with the full amount of cash, was duly handed over to her.
Expressing her heartfelt gratitude, the woman stated that she was able to recover her lost purse solely because it had come into the possession of an honourable and disciplined member of the Sri Lanka Army. She further remarked that such dedicated efforts to locate the rightful owner may not have been made had it fallen into other hands, and warmly commended the Sri Lanka Army for nurturing trustworthy and principled soldiers who serve society with integrity.
