News
Ace swindler and accomplices in custody
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Fraud Bureau and at least four police stations are carrying out parallel investigations about a businessman and his accomplices who have allegedly defrauded millions of rupees from trading partners, police said. The key suspect hailing from Borella and three others have been taken into custody pending further inquiries while more arrests of those involved are expected.
One of biggest frauds has been committed by a businessman while his four accomplices have been arrested and remanded.A senior police officer involved in the investigations told the Sunday Times that one of the cases being probed is a complaint lodged regarding the defrauding of the owner of a rice mill in Kekirawa. The mill had received Board of Investment (BOI) approval.
The businessman is reported to have purchased seven lorry loads of rice paid for by cheques which had bounced as the account had been closed. The company has issued stocks to the trader as he had honoured previous transactions. CID investigations found that seven lorry loads of rice had been unloaded at several retail shops in Colombo and suburbs including Ragama, Dematagoda, Narahenpita and Welisara.
The CID also has received several other complaints about the trader and they are currently under investigation. The initial breakthrough leading to the arrest of the main suspect came after a businessman in Wellawatte lodged a complained that he had sold 3,000 tins of canned fish to the suspect businessman who had issued a cheque which bounced.
In addition the suspect businessman had purchased a television valued at Rs. 315,000 from a shop in Wellawatte and wheat flour valued at Rs. 500,000 from a leading super market. Cheques issued in payment for them had also bounced.
The Fraud Bureau has received complaints from seven traders of purchase of tyres worth Rs. 1.9 million, potatoes and dhal worth Rs. 1.9 million, shirt material worth Rs 1.7 million, exercise books worth Rs. 600,000, torch batteries worth Rs. 558,000, tinned fish worth Rs. 568,000, paid for by dud cheques issued by this suspect businessman. He had also allegedly defrauded cash amounting to Rs 1.7 million.
The chief suspect had six arrest warrants when he was taken into custody over six fraud cases pending in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.