News
Three in the dock for Rs 4.7m cheque fraud
Police have uncovered a Rs 4.7 million cheque fraud by a financial institution employee and two accomplices.
The employee had stolen a blank cheque and forged the signatures of the company heads and cashed it, the director of the Colombo Fraud Bureau, SP Rohan Premaratne told the Sunday Times.
The theft had taken place on the morning of September 9 when the prime suspect, identified as Thilanka Abeyratne, removed two blank cheques held in reserve. He had learned that there were about 1,000 unused cheques in a cupboard for which the key was available.
“The suspect had contacted his friend, a three-wheeler driver who operates at Pepiliyana identified as Indika Nawaratne, and sought his help to find a person who would cash the cheques,” SP Premaratne said.
He said Abeyratne had printed cheques identical to the ones used in the office and copied the sigantures of finance division heads and heads of the company from previously-used cheques.
Meanwhile, the trishaw driver, had contacted a friend identified as M.A.V Prabath Janaka, a cab driver, who agreed to cash the cheque.
On September 10, Abeyratne had met Nawaratne and Janaka at Battaramulla and handed over the cheque. Janaka then went to private bank at Battaramulla.
“However, the officials of the financial company learned that two cheques were missing and complained to the CFB on September 14. The company officials also gave us information about the bank,” S.P. Premaratne said said.
The financial company officials found out from their bank that the cheques had been cashed at a private bank at Battramulla. Cash amounting Rs 4.7 million had been collected by the suspect, Prabath Janaka.
The company had told the CFB that the serial numbers were identical to the missing numbers. The CFB secured court permission to obtain more details of suspect Janaka’s identity card from the Commissioner of Person’s Registration and phone logs from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.
The suspect was arrested at his residence and information was obtained about the other two suspects.
SP Premaratne said suspect Janaka had accepted Rs 200,000 for cashing the cheque, while suspect Nawaratne had pocketed Rs 1.2 million.
“The main suspect had Rs. 600,000. The rest of the money had been spent on redeeming pawned jewelry and repairing his vehicle,” SP Premaratne said.
The two suspects had been produced before the Colombo Magistrates’ Courts and were given surety bail. Janaka posted bail of Rs 500,000, while Nawaratne posted bail of Rs 500,000 each. The main suspect was further remanded.