Police have arrested two suspects who allegedly embezzled public funds by falsely using the name of the ‘Little Hearts’ national fundraising project to solicit donations.
Speaking at a special press briefing today (15), Police Media Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manathunga confirmed the arrests.
According to the police investigation, the suspects had collected Rs. 2.9 million in total from donors, which they misappropriated for their personal use.
Launched in 2016, the ‘Little Hearts’ national fundraising project was initiated by the Sri Lanka College of Pediatrics, in collaboration with the Derana Media Network, with the aim of providing a healthy future for children with heart disease.
However, recent information provided to Ada Derana’s ‘Ukussa’ programme had revealed that certain individuals were misusing the project’s name to run a fraudulent scheme and defraud money from the public.
