Kaudulla safari ticket scam: 10 Jeeps seized, wildlife officers suspended

 By Dinesh Samarakoone

 A major ticket fraud operation involving safari jeeps at the Kaudulla National Park has been uncovered, leading to the arrest of several individuals and the seizure of 10 jeeps, Director General of Wildlife Conservation Ranjan Amarasinghe said.
 The investigation revealed that employees operating safari jeeps had allegedly been collecting money from local and foreign tourists without issuing official entry tickets, pocketing the proceeds. As a result, two Wildlife Department officers connected to the scheme have been suspended, while four volunteer workers have also been removed from duty.
 The raid was carried out on the 15th by a joint team from the Department’s Internal Audit Division in Colombo and the Rapid Response Unit. Officials say the fraudulent activity had been ongoing for some time, and further investigations are underway.
 When the jeeps were taken into custody, they were transporting 13 local adults and one child, along with 34 foreign adults and one foreign child.