Massive fraud

A young couple who were produced in a Colombo Court on charges of having defrauded an 85-year-old woman of Rs.11.5 million were remanded till Wednesday.

Sheila Seneviratne in her complaint to the CID said the main suspect K. Dinelka M. Fernando had befriended her when she was residing at an elders’ home in Kollupitiya. She said soon after the suspect’s marriage in July, the newly married couple had requested Ms. Seneviratne to live with them in a rented house. She alleged that she paid the rent from July this year and 39 fixed deposit certificates and several bank account books belonging to her were given to the suspect because Ms. Seneviratne trusted her.

Under their influence she arranged to buy a block of land for Rs.2.51 million and a hybrid car for Rs.3.65 million.

The CID investigations had revealed that the woman had deposited Rs.2 million in her account while her husband Mahesh Perera had deposited Rs.3 million in his bank account. (Lakmal Sooriyagoda)