Monk faces fraud allegations over fake “Ditwah” relief scheme

By Bhagya Silva  

A monk from Pilimatalawa, alleged to have fraudulently obtained money by falsely posing as the Deputy Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship and claiming that relief would be provided to entrepreneurs affected by the “Ditwah” cyclone, was arrested by the Central Crime Investigation Bureau and produced before court.  

It is alleged that the suspect falsely represented himself as the Deputy Minister and promised relief assistance to businesspersons affected by the cyclone, thereby fraudulently obtaining money.  

When the suspect was produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva, bail was granted with two sureties of Rs.1million each.

CCIB officers informed court that the suspect was produced following his arrest in connection with the offence. It was further revealed that a separate case against the suspect is pending before the Fort Magistrate’s Court and he is currently in remand custody in relation to that matter.  

Investigating officers stated that the suspect had circulated messages via WhatsApp claiming that a workshop had been organised to provide financial assistance to entrepreneurs affected by the “Ditwah” cyclone. He had allegedly provided bank account details requesting financial contributions while falsely posing as Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe.  

Investigations revealed that Rs. 600,000 had been credited to a bank account registered under the name of the suspect monk. Further inquiries into the WhatsApp account disclosed that the SIM card used for the communication had been registered in the name of the suspect.  

Appearing from the dock, the monk stated that he had handed over the SIM card to a friend residing in Dubai and claimed that it was this friend who had deposited the sum of Rs. 600,000 into the relevant bank account.  
The Magistrate ordered that this matter be taken up again on June 25.