The Principal of a school in Puttalam who was arrested on charges of selling the steel frames of school equipment to a scrap metal collector has been released on Rs 100,000 surety bail by the Puttalam Magistrate’s Court.

A large number of school equipment including desks and chairs were brought to Ananda National College in Puttalam from Al-Aqsa National School in Kalpitiya.

The equipment was brought to the Puttalam school, with the approval of the national schools director, to be used by the students at the school.  

However, a member of the school’s development committee had lodged a complaint with the Puttalam Police stating that the Principal of Ananda National College has sold the steel frames of the equipment to a scrap metal collector.

Acting on the complaint, police recorded statements from the individuals who purchased the steel frames, who had revealed that they had paid a sum of Rs 35,000 for the frames.    

Therefore the Principal of Ananda National College, Sumanasiri Amarasinghe was arrested by the Puttalam Police crimes unit yesterday (6) and produced before the Puttalam Acting Magistrate Fazal Abuthahir.

Attorneys representing the defendant informed court that their client has undergone a heart surgery, and therefore the magistrate ordered that he be released on bail, under special conditions.