Bogus foreign employment agency busted in Avissawella

Suraj A Bandara

A bogus foreign employment agency in Huseniawatta Avissawella has been busted and one suspect arrested, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

Investigations have revealed that the suspect had cheated many people around Avissawella and many other parts of the country promising them employment abroad using fake documents and forged passports.

The suspect was in possession of 17 forged passports at the time of his arrest. The suspect, a resident of Huseniawatta had been carrying out his illegal operation in Avissawella over a period of time, the SLBFE said.

He had charged money from people and had been evading them when they began to question their foreign employment possibilities.

The Special Investigation Unit of the SLBFE raided the agency following people's complaints to the Bureau.

The authorities had recovered forged visas and forged seals of the SLBFE during the raid.

The agency has not even been registered with the SLBFE. The suspect was produced before the Avissawella Magistrate and released on bail when he promised to pay back the money he cheated from the people. The SLBFE requested public to contact the Bureau if anyone has been deceived by this suspect.