Former SLPP MP nabbed over Rs. 21.3 mn Romania job scam

Colombo, May 4 (Daily Mirror) - A former Member of Parliament affiliated with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has been arrested over an alleged large-scale foreign employment scam involving more than Rs. 21.3 million, The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

The suspect, a resident of Rikillagaskada in Haguranketha and a former member of the Haguranketha Pradeshiya Sabha, was taken into custody on May 1 by officers of the Special Investigation Unit of the SLBFE.

Investigations revealed that the suspect, along with his wife, had defrauded at least 16 individuals across the country by promising employment opportunities in Romania’s construction sector. 

Victims were reportedly issued fake employment contracts after payments were made, with total losses amounting to Rs. 21 million.

The SLBDE said that the main suspect had previously worked in Romania for two years and had used that experience to gain the trust of job seekers before carrying out the fraudulent scheme.

Following complaints, officers from the Bureau, together with the State Intelligence Service, launched an investigation which led to the discovery that the suspect had fled Rikillagaskada and was hiding in a rented house in Kadugannawa.

The suspect and his wife were subsequently arrested and produced before the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court. The Magistrate ordered that both be remanded until May 4.

The arrest was carried out under the supervision of the Director of the Central Crime Investigation Division, Senior Superintendent of Police Kamal Ariyawansa, and on the instructions of the Bureau’s Special Investigation Unit led by Chief Inspector P.B. Ariyasinghe. Inspector T.B. De Alwis and a team of officers were also involved in the operation.

Further investigations are ongoing.