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| Tuesday, 30 September 2003 |
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The Police, on a directive of the Ministry of Interior have busted a vehicle-hiring racket said to have been operated by a woman, whom they described as a 'high flyer', by running a Travel and Tours undertaking at Koswatta, Nawala. She has been found to have defrauded a large number of persons by hiring their vehicles, re-hiring them to third parties at much higher rates and later defaulting in payments to the persons who have given the vehicles on lease. This follows inquiries into complaints made to the Ministry and the Police against the woman concerned by several persons who had been played out in hiring of the vehicles to her. Most of the complainants have been able to get back their vehicles with great difficulty however minus the rentals for several months. According to Welikada Police which is inquiring into these cases, 48 complaints were received from persons who had been defrauded by the woman concerned during the period 28.10.2002 till 18.09.2003. Out of this number, 19 cases have already been filed in courts against the woman concerned and 18 others are being investigated for filing action and another 18 cases have been settled. She had been produced in court and remanded for 21 days in October last year after which she has been bailed out and requested to report at Welikada Police every week. According to Police sources the woman runs a travels and tours firm at Koswatta, Nawala and regularly advertises in national newspapers calling for hiring of vehicles. Later formal agreements are signed between the woman's firm and the lessor, hiring the vehicles for amounts ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 35,000 per month. Usually she pays Rs. 10,000 more than the agreed amount for the first month and completely defaults in subsequent payments. Owners of the vehicles who pressurize the woman to pay the defaulted amounts are often threatened by hired underworld elements and many such owners have had no alternative other than to settle for getting back their vehicles minus the rentals due to them for several months. According to Police they have found that the woman had been operating as a hirer of vehicles for over ten years operating previously at Mirihana on these same lines - by hiring their vehicles and returning them without paying the rental for several months. The Police have now sent out a warning for the public to be cautious of the operations carried out by the woman concerned and have requested all those who had been defrauded to contact the OIC of Welikada Police. The C.I.D. has also been detailed to investigate into the conduct of the woman concerned and to assess to what extent she had carried on this racket. |
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