Visa racket suspects further remanded

Sarath Malalasekera

The Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Gihan Pilapitiya yesterday further remanded the suspects who included leading athletes in the visa racket case till February 24.

Earlier on an application the Judge allowed one of the suspects in the visa racket case to make a confession before the Judge.

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) probing the visa racket told Court that they have forwarded the dossier of the investigations into the visa racket to the Attorney General for his advise. Inspector Rajapaksa of the CCD told court that the investigators had to record several statements from the officers of the Immigration and Emigration Department in connection with their investigations.

The ten suspects in the case are Amith Dhamika Jayasekera, S. A. Nihal Jayantha, J. Fernando, Mustafa Mohamed Faizer, Ranga Kumara Wimalawansa, K.B.D. Prasanna, Chaminda Jayantha, Lalania Irangaki, Geetha Dharsha and Prasanna Sampath Amerasekera.

They have allegedly prepared forged marriage certificates and obtained visas from an Embassy in Colombo for a Muslim person and a Tamil person seeking migration to the UK.

"We are also looking for a very senior sportswoman who is allegedly involved in this massive visa racket, CCD Director Senior SP Anura Senanayake said. Earlier the CCD arrested the kingpin of the visa racket. He has been remanded pending the completion of on going investigation, the CCD Director said.

This key suspect now in custody has been carrying on this racket with the help of leading personalities in society, CCD officials said.

Investigations also revealed that only the Bridegroom had left the country on the visas obtained on forged documents but not the brides, CCD Director Senior SP Senanayake said.

Jayantha Dias Nanayakkara and Sanjey Gamage appeared for some of the suspects. Kingsley Hettiarachchi appeared for the complainant. The case will be called again on February 24.