Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) officers have arrested a former United National Party (UNP) local councillor for allegedly carrying out a foreign job recruitment scam using forged letterheads of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath.
The suspect was arrested by the SLBFE’s Special Investigations Division on Jan. 26 while he was operating the alleged racket from a lodging facility in Rajagiriya, police said.
Investigators seized a number of forged documents from the suspect, including fake ministerial letterheads, photocopies of passports and foreign employment application forms.
During questioning, the suspect admitted to obtaining money from 11 individuals by promising them employment in Canada, with the total amount defrauded exceeding Rs. 3 million, officials said.
The suspect, a resident of Pilimathalawa in Kandy, is a former member of the Yatinuwara Pradeshiya Sabha and had previously served on the staff of the former Opposition Leader of the Central Provincial Council. He is also described as a senior activist of the UNP.
He was produced before the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court on Jan. 27 and was remanded after failing to meet bail conditions.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect had been involved in similar fraud schemes for several years and has multiple cases pending against him in the Kandy courts. (Newswire)