Interpol help sought to trace bogus investor

The victims of a bogus investor in the Pettah are requesting the help of relevant establishments to approach Interpol in their efforts to trace the suspect, some of the victims have said. The victims have also claimed that the total amount invested with the suspect exceeds Rs. 300 million.

At least 15 victims have complained to the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau, while some have also lodged complaints at the Pettah police station. According to the complaint, the suspect, originally from Mutur had been running a jewellery shop at Sea Street in the Pettah and had persuaded the unsuspecting victims to invest with him by assuring them a steady dividend of Rs. 3000 a month for every Rs. 100,000 invested. He paid on time and won the confidence of the people.

The victims later realized that the money the suspect paid his investors monthly as dividends and profit was in fact from the capital of the victims themselves. Meanwhile seasoned businessmen too are reported to have been duped by the suspect, with some of the victims losing over Rs. 6 million.

Dr. M.A.M. Anas, who has lost around Rs. 5.2 million said that some of the victims had received calls from the suspect requesting them to refrain from contacting the police as he would make the payments. The victims are now in dire economic and social straits. They have lost large sums of money and have become the laughing stock of society. Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau SP H.K.S. Pinidiya said last week that investigations were underway.