Police hotlines help to detect illegal assets

Two hotlines set up to encourage callers to provide information on drug traffickers and illegally acquired assets have received more than 4,000 complaints leading to successful detections, Acting Police Media Spokesman SSP Ruwan Gunasekara said today.

He said the two hotlines 1917 (to provide information on illegally acquired assets by underworld activities and trading of drugs) and 1997 (for information on drug trafficking) had brought the results during the past two months.

SSP Gunasekara said that the 1917 hotline received 671 calls and of them 110 were complaints about money laundering and investigations are underway to freeze the assets.

On the second number - 1997 the police received over 3,000 complaints regarding drug trafficking and assets owned by trading of drugs.

He said in the western province they had received 12 complaints of illegally-owned 980 perches of land valued at Rs 4,000 million, 12 cars, seven three-wheelers and seven motor bikes purchased from illegally earned money.

Also suspicious 102 bank accounts with transactions amounting to Rs. 2600 million have been detected     while moves are underway to freeze Rs. 96 million in these accounts.

He said red notices also have been issued on 14 wanted suspects.