Over 3,000 fake silver bangles confiscated

Rasika Somarathna

Over 3,000 fake silver bangles weighing 50 kgs imported by a Colombo based businessman was confiscated by the Customs. Customs Spokesman Lesly Gamini said the bangles were brought to the country by the businessman who was returning on a flight from Bangkok.

Gamini said the bangles had engravings to suggest that they were made of 925 sterling silver. “However, investigations at our lab proved that the bangles were made of copper with only silver plating on top of them,” he said.

Gamini said if the stock had gone undetected, they would have fetched a profit of more than Rs.75 million as it would have been sold to customers as pure silver.

He said the stock has been forfeited and would be destroyed.

Investigations are continuing.