Indian hoodwinked with boast of tea to royalty

5 May 2014 12:59 pm

Interpol has issued a red notice on a Sri Lankan businessman who is evading Court after being charged with swindling an Indian businessman of US$5.29 million by asking him to invest in a tea export company on the boast that the tea export company had supplied tea to the Buckingham Palace.

The CID investigating the incident told Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage that the Interpol too had issued a red notice on the suspect Anthony Manilal Alles facing charges of having cheated Indian Businessman Somith Agrwal.

In his complaint to the CID, Mr. Agrwal alleged that he got to know the Sri Lanka businessman while staying in Thailand and discussed business matters relating to tea exports.

He said Mr. Alles had asked him to invest in a tea export company as a joint venture and had thereafter deposited US$5.29 million in a bank account belonging to the new tea export company they were floating. The complainant alleged that the suspect had showed him certificate purportedly issued by an assistant personal secretary to the queen and insisted that he had supplied tea to the Buckingham Palace.

Prior to the red notice being issued by t Interpol, the Colombo Fort Magistrate had issued an open warrant for the arrest of the suspect. Further magisterial inquiry was postponed till May 7. (LS)