By Norman Palihawadane

Galgamuwa police, on Sunday, nabbed a 48-year-old person for duping over dozen of Lankan women working in West Asian countries by promising to marry them and cheating them of out millions of rupees.

The suspect posed as an army officer.

Galgamuwa OIC Chief Inspector M. M. S. Pushpakumara said that they had received a complaint from a woman returning home from abroad on 11 March that her money and valuables had been taken away by her lover whom she came to know from Facebook and WhatsApp.

In her complaint she said that she and the suspect had been in love and he had promised to marry her on her return. She used to send him money to an account of a private bank for the construction of a house. On the day she returned, the suspect went to the airport and picked her up. Thereafter they went to a lodge at Meegashandiya to spend the night. The following morning she found that the man was missing with Rs 750,000 in cash, jewellery worth Rs 264,300, a mobile phone worth Rs 120,000 and some other valuables belonging to her.

CI Pushpakaumara said that his junior investigators found CCTV photos of the suspect withdrawing cash from ATMs and images of him and the victim woman drinking tea in the verandah of the lodge. When the investigators checked the bank account number details they found that it belonged to a 76-year-old person living in Galnewa. The man confessed that one of his friends helped him open a bank account but was not aware that the account was functioning and his friend was using his debit card. He confirmed the friend and the suspect in the photos were the same. Investigators then traced the whereabouts of the suspect, and found that he lived in a house at Walaswewa, in Nikaweratiya, and reared cattle, and earned a daily living by engaging in agricultural activities.

Following his arrest on Sunday and subsequent questioning, the police found information about 12 other women friends working abroad maintaining friendships with the suspect. He had obtained money from each of them by promising to marry them when they returned home. He had several debit cards but none in his name.

Police recovered the mobile phone, jewellery and Rs 650,000 cash taken away by the suspect from his latest victim.

The OIC said the raid had been carried out under the supervision of Nikaweratiya Division SSP Wasantha Jayamini Kumara, and Galagmuwa ASP SPJSK Rajapakshe. The raiding party included CI Priyantha Jayasiri, PS 29457 Senarath, PS 31163 Jayathilake, PS 383650 Rajapakshe, PS 75623 Herath and PC 95529 Semasinghe.

The suspect was produced before Galgamuwa Magistrate and remanded until 26 March.