Information regarding an individual, who had allegedly sold, leased out or mortgaged 9,998 acres of state lands using fraudulent documents, was uncovered by the Anuradhapura Divisional Range Forest Officer (RFO) Lalith Gamage.

Accordingly, the suspect had used Anawilundawa Sanctuary, which is managed under the Department of Forest Conservation and belongs to the Survey Department of Horowpathana Divisional Secretariat in Anuradhapura district, for this fraudulent scheme.

Preliminary investigations by the RFO Lalith Gamage has uncovered that the support of government officials has been rendered to sell, lease and mortgage the lands of this sanctuary to state and private sector banks.

Furthermore, the suspect has borrowed the surname of another person to forge fake deeds, national identity cards and a seal to carry out this fraud.

As a high-profile politician and a renowned Buddhist monk of the country had came forward to buy portions of these lands, RFO Gamage had probed the ownership of the lands.

The lands were then revealed to be state property and the fraudulent scheme had been ongoing for a long time in a strictly secretive manner by using fake deeds.

The suspect has been identified as Yapa Mudiyanselange Wasantha Manoj Madawala, a resident of Horowpathana area. He has sold off these lands claiming them as property of his relatives.

Following a special operation, carried out for several months, a B-report has been submitted to the Kebithigollewa Magistrate’s Court regarding this large-scale land fraud, said RFO Gamage.

Reportedly, the Director of Department of Forest Conservation S.A.A. Sathurusinghe has requested IGP Pujith Jayasundara to conduct a special pertaining to this racket through the CID.