A suspect, who defrauded large sums of money from a number of people after promising them employment by impersonating a President’s Additional Secretary and a Private Secretary, has been arrested by the Terrorism Investigations Division (TID).
The TID commenced investigations after President’s Secretary Austin Fernando made a complaint on March 29 regarding an individual impersonating a Secretary to the President.
Mahesh Muditha Kumara, 39, was arrested yesterday (7) at Panawala, Eheliyagoda following extensive investigations carried out regarding several mobile phone numbers used by the suspect.
Three mobile phone SIM cards, five files containing photocopies of certificates belonging to various individuals and several other documents found in the possession of the suspect were also taken into custody.
The arrested suspect had used the false name ‘Wasantha Kumara Ranasinghe’ and at one time had impersonated a Private Secretary of the President and later an Additional Secretary to the President, in order to carry out the scam.
He had defrauded a sum of Rs 100,000 from each of his victims after promising them jobs in the Ports Authority, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and also employment in South Korea.
During interrogation it was revealed that the suspect, who is a former army soldier, had defrauded a number of people in this manner and that he had also made phone calls to top officials of state institutions for various reasons on multiple occasions.
He is to be produced at the Avissawella Magistrate’s Court today (8).
People who have been duped by the suspect in question are requested to provide information to the following numbers:
Telephone – 0112321839
Fax - 0112384403
