Fake scribe fined

Priyadarshani Kahawala, Ingiriya central group cor

A person who posed as a "journalist" and obstructed the duties of officers of Ingiriya Police while under the influence of liquor, was fined Rs 4,500 by Horana Magistrate Mahinda Ranasingha on Wednesday.

The suspect S D G Chamara, 28, is a resident of Rukmale, Pannipitiya. Four policemen on duty opposite the Ingiriya Police Station stopped a van plying along Ratnapura-Panadura road on Saturday night and checked the driver's license and other documents.

The suspect alighted from the van with a video camera claiming he was a journalist. He then filmed the police officers and acted threateningly, saying he will publish this incident in the next day's news papers and websites, the Police said.

The police officers had requested for his Identity Card and found he did not possess a journalists' ID. The police took him into custody and produced him along with his video camera before court.