The owner of a foreign employment agency has been ordered remanded in custody until September 23, after being produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court in connection with an alleged incident of defrauding people after promising employment in Dubai.

The officers of the Special Investigations Unit of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) had arrested the woman in accordance with a complaint received by them.

During the investigations, the woman in question had admitted that she had entrusted the responsibility of the concerned foreign employment agency to another person and that he has defrauded the job seekers.

Further, the investigations have uncovered that the suspect in question has demanded more than Rs. 450,000 from the victims, promising to provide them with employment in Dubai.

However, people have complained that they were not given jobs in the garment industry or supermarkets in Dubai as promised by the concerned person.

The Special Investigations Unit of SLBFE has initiated investigations in search of the main suspect of the incident, says the bureau.

Meanwhile, the SLBFE urges people who are applying for foreign employment via an employment agency to make sure that the respective agency is a registered employment agency under the SLBFE and if the agency has received an approved job order from the SLBFE.

The bureau further requests the public, not to give money or the passport, either to any agency or an individual without looking into the aforementioned information.

Moreover, the SLBFE requests the public to inform of any details regarding such foreign employment scams to the Special Investigations Unit of the SLBFE via the contact number 011-2864241 or through the Hotline 1989, which is operational round the clock.