Two individuals connected to a large-scale scam involving nearly Rs. 200 million, falsely promising jobs in European countries, have been arrested by officers of the Special Investigations Unit of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).

The arrested suspects include a resident of Mawanella with years of experience in the foreign employment sector and a retired army colonel from Kadawatha.

The duo has been arrested in Mawanella and Imbulgoda.

The scam was carried out through a foreign employment agency operating in Negombo for about 1.5 years with a valid license from the SLBFE. The agency claimed to offer jobs in the hospitality sector in Hungary, the Netherlands, and Finland and collected large sums of money from individuals across Sri Lanka.
However, despite accepting payments, no jobs were provided, and the SLBFE has received 20 formal complaints so far.

Investigations revealed that the agency had only received job orders for Hungary and none were for the hospitality sector, contradicting what was promised.

After details of the arrests became public, the owner of the agency, her husband, and the finance manager had fled the area. The investigation team is continuing efforts to locate and apprehend them.

Meanwhile, the two arrested suspects were produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court and have been remanded until tomorrow (10).

The magistrate has also issued a travel ban on those evading arrest to prevent them from leaving the country.

Meanwhile, the SLBFE has requested the public to report any information about fraudulent foreign employment agencies or individuals to the Police Unit under the Special Investigations Division via 011 288 2228.