News
Search on for diddling con woman
A hunt is on for a woman confidence trickster who is alleged to have defrauded millions of rupees from her unsuspecting clients the latest being a doctor who had arrived from the United Kingdom, police said. They said that there are several complaints against the woman who operates mainly in up market hotels, gaming houses and related places of entertainment in the metropolis and the immediate suburbs.
The court warrant issued for the arrest of the woman
There is also a warrant issued by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court for her immediate arrest but the police are yet to trace the suspect who is a resident of Kirulapone. The modus operandi of the woman is to befriend her would be victims posing off as a wealthy entrepreneur and later tie them up in her business operations that do not exist after persuading them to part with large sums of money in return for post dated cheques.
In the most recent complaint made to the Slave Island Police a doctor had complained that the woman had allegedly defrauded him of some Rs. 12 million after striking up a business arrangement where the victim was issued post-dated cheques that later turned out to be fakes. The doctor had also complained to police about a threat to his life after he suspected that the woman had assigned persons to follow him and his family from time to time.
According to the complaint the woman is also alleged to have threatened him when he had asked her to return the money. In written representations to the Ministry of Law and Order and the Police Commissioner the doctor had also alleged that the local police were slow in initiating action against the woman and that he feared for his well-being.
He has stated that the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Slave Island Police Station Chief Inspector (CI) Marlon Perera adopted a lenient attitude towards the woman when she was brought in for questioning and the matter ended there. The doctor has further stated that the suspect woman is also alleged to have followed his wife to a temple in the city and that this incident too was reported to the Slave Island police.
CI Marlon Perera told the Sunday Times that the complaint of intimidation made by the doctor had been already referred to the Mediation Board and denied the allegations that he was partial towards the suspect. He said that the complaint in regard to fraud had been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for follow up action.