Job agent promising foreign employment arrested for defrauding over Rs. 20 mn

By T.L. Jaufer Khan 

Colombo, Feb 04 (Daily Mirror) - The owner of a foreign employment agency in Batticaloa was arrested by an investigation team of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau for defrauding over Rs. 20 million while promising foreign jobs.

The suspect is alleged to have cheated 12 job seekers and charged between Rs. 1.6 to 2 million on the promise of providing them employment abroad.

The 29 year old suspect, running an employment agency at Kalmunai road in Batticaloa had in 2023 undertaken to provide them employment in several countries including Romania, Sofia and Poland and had obtained money from them.

Although two years had elapsed he had failed to provide them employment or to show a positive response to their requests for the refund of the paid money. They said they had forwarded all documents including copies of passports and police reports as required by the suspect.

As a last resort they had lodged complaints with the Batticaloa Crime Investigation Unit and the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau.

Investigations revealed that the employment agency had not been registered with the SLFEB. During investigations, files containing the documents forwarded by 74 individuals seeking employment abroad had been recovered. 

An investigation team under Director, Investigations of the SLFEB carried out the raid with the help of the Batticaloa Crime Investigation Unit.

The suspect is to be produced before court.