Two officers of the Inland Revenue Department were arrested by the CID over a number of frauds allegedly committed by erasing data stored in several computers of the department.

The complaint was lodged by the Deputy Director after it was found that a considerable amount of data had gone missing.

The amount of loss caused to the department was yet to be calculated.

The CID arrested the tax officer and data processing officer in the Panadura and Minuwangoda areas. The two suspects who are now being held under detention orders are to be produced in courts soon.  

They had been allegedly deleting important data for a considerable period of time. However police said they were yet to identify the people who had given them these contracts.

A senior police officer said the individuals and businesses involved in the fraud would be revealed within the next few weeks.

However, he said the arrest of the two Inland Revenue officers, would lead them to track down more such officers within the department.

Police said that the two men are now held under detention orders and they will be produced in courts shortly.

Investigators said, frauds and malpractices were rampant within the department, but they were being carried out in a highly organized manner.

It was also reported recently that the revenue collection had dropped during the last three years creating a negative impact on the economy.

Therefore, the Inland Revenue Department has started a full search to find reasons leading to the drop in tax revenue. (Supun Dias)