Forgeda land deal Rishad’s brother released on bail

By Yoshitha Perera 

MP Rishad Bathiudeen’s brother Rifkan, who was arrested over a forged land deal, was yesterday released on a cash bail of Rs.25,000 with two sureties of Rs.500,000 each by Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne. 

In the bail order, the magistrate mentioned that one surety should be a close relative of the suspect and that the suspect had to be present in the CID on the last Sunday of each month. Furthermore, the magistrate imposed a travel ban and ordered the suspect to provide his passport to court. 
The suspect was arrested on January 23 after he surrendered to the CID. The complaint mentioned that he had sold a 78-acre plot of land in Mannar to a private company under a false deed. 

Earlier, the CID arrested Madar Mohideen Ansardeen of Talaimannar who had assisted the suspect in preparing forged deeds. However, the magistrate later granted him bail.