A Sri Lankan man who accompanied his Filipina girlfriend to Sri Lanka to celebrate Valentine’s Day was arrested for making a false complaint alleging she had stolen cash and his belongings, to prevent her from leaving the country.

The suspect had later confessed to police that as he loved the Filipina very much and did not wish her to return to her country he had made the false complaint, accusing her of stealing cash and a computer. Based on his complaint the Filipina had been arrested on her way to the airport, and preliminary investigations conducted by police revealed she had been framed by her lover to prevent her leaving the country.

The couple had stayed in a hotel in Mount Lavinia during the Valentine’s Day celebrations, after which the girlfriend had proceeded to the airport to return to her country. The suspect, frustrated by the parting, had hastened to lodge a complaint at the Mount Lavinia police, which resulted in her being detained and her passport taken into custody.

Subsequently when police arrested him and produced him in courts, he pleaded guilty to lodging a false complaint. The Mount Lavinia Chief Magistrate Ms. Nirosha Fernando sentenced the suspect to one year’s imprisonment suspended for ten years.

The suspect in this case had been identified as Romesh Priyankara of Egoda Uyana Moratuwa.

The Filipina was allowed by the court to fly back home. (M. Suranjith Perera)