Five arrested over alleged fake government job and loan racket in Nuwara Eliya

Five individuals were arrested by the Nuwara Eliya Divisional Crime Investigation Unit for allegedly collecting money from residents by falsely promising government employment, houses and loans using forged letterheads and official seals belonging to the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat.

The suspects include a 70-year-old man from Jaffna and individuals operating communication centres in Nuwara Eliya, Hatton and Kotagala.

The suspects allegedly operated the scheme by posing as the Acting Accountant and Planning Director of the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat and forging the signatures of relevant officials, including District Secretary Thushari Tennakoon.

The fraudulent letterheads and signatures were discovered after several residents who had paid money to the suspects sent letters to the District Secretary after receiving no response to documents issued to them.

Following the discovery, the District Secretary lodged a complaint with the Nuwara Eliya Divisional Crime Investigation Unit, which launched an investigation into the alleged fraud.

According to police, the suspects collected money from residents in Hatton and Kotagala with the assistance of several other individuals in those areas. They allegedly provided letters printed on official letterheads and bearing forged seals as evidence of the amounts collected.

Police also seized several forged seals, official letterheads and computers allegedly used to prepare the fraudulent documents from the suspects’ possession.

District Secretary Thushari Tennakoon said money were also collected from residents for various events allegedly organized using her name and that of the Additional District Secretary.

She said the suspects reportedly told event organizers that she would attend the relevant functions and later contacted them by telephone claiming that she could not attend due to an unavoidable reason. They then instructed the organizers to proceed with the meetings despite her absence.

Further investigations are being conducted by a team of police officers, including the Officer-in-Charge of the Divisional Crime Investigation Unit, under the supervision of the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Nuwara Eliya Division.