Husband and wife arrested at BIA for involvement in pyramid scheme

By A.J.A. Abeynayake

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Friday (08) arrested a suspect named Dhammika Kumara Ranasinghe at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for his involvement in defrauding over Rs. 10 billion through a pyramid scheme.

Ranasinghe fled the country last year when a case against him was filed before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. He faced charges of large-scale financial fraud.

The CID also detained his wife, Samudra Surangani, who had arrived at the airport to meet him. Surangani, serving as the financial director of her husband’s business, was responsible for managing multiple bank accounts linked to the fraudulent scheme.

Investigations have revealed that Ranasinghe operated a business school in Kurunegala, through which he deceived over 2,500 depositors. The couple allegedly managed the fraudulent transactions using a network of 11 bank accounts in three major banks.

Both suspects have been handed over to the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) for further questioning.Additionally, the Illegal Assets Division has launched a separate investigation into their assets and financial activities.