Job agency operatives held over defrauding Rs 20 m

The permit holder of a foreign employment agency named Finance Associated in Maradana and a person who functioned as the director of the agency were taken into custody by the Special Investigation Unit of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau on suspicion of defrauding Rs 20 million from foreign job seekers, under the promise of providing them foreign employment.

The suspects who were taken into custody on May 24 were produced before the Maligakanda Magistrate who ordered them to be remanded until June 6.

The main suspect had already been issued warrants on two previous occasions as he had evaded judicial procedures in the Maligakanda Magistrate's Court, charge with frauds connected with foreign jobs. The Foreign Employment Bureau also had received over 290 complaints relating to cheating against the permit holder of the agency who had been in the habit of ignoring notices from the Bureau to be present at inquiries.

Another 30 inquiries are being conducted against him in the Settlement Unit of the Bureau.

Information has also been revealed that he had been involved in various other frauds for which complaints had been made at police stations in the suburban areas of Colombo.