Police grill smart alec over missing Euros

By Jayampathy Jayasinghe

Following a newspaper report that appeared last week the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) began a probe into the incident where a Sri Lankan living in Italy for more than 15 years had embezzled 400 million European currency notes and priceless gold jewellery that belonged to a wealthy Italian businessman. The suspect had been employed as a domestic aid in the businessman's mansion for several years.

However, the CID said it had not received any complaint from the Italian police or the Interpol headquarters regarding the embezzlement. IGP, N.K. Illangakoon has called for a report following the media exposure of the incident, Police sources told the Sunday Observer. It was revealed that the suspect had stolen the money on September 10 from the businessman's residence at Bracia in Italy. Having allegedly stolen the money he had returned to the country a fortnight ago.

According to Marawila police it is not clear whether the businessman had lodged a complaint with the Italian police regarding the theft of money for fear of being asked to explain as to how he came to possess such a large amount of money or for the fear of tax men hounding him as a tax dodger, Marawila police said.

According to news reports the businessman had complained to the Italian police that the Sri Lankan employed by him as a cleaner had stolen millions of Euro currency notes and his priceless gold jewellery. He had said the Sri Lankan had several fictitious names while in Italy. The matter came to light when the Marawila police on a tip off took the suspect into custody when they learnt that he had returned to Sri Lanka on a forged passport having lived in Italy for more than 15 years. The suspect was nabbed while he was staying at a house at Pubudu Mawatha, in Nattandiya.

There were discrepancies in his birth certificate and the National Identity Card (NIC), police said. They also suspect that he had entered Italy illegally and remained there for 15 years using forged documents. The suspect had substituted other names to obtain a forged passport to travel to Italy. “It was possible that he may have even gone by boat to Italy,” police said.

It was revealed that the suspect had lived in Italy under different names. What is more, the suspect had returned to Sri Lanka two weeks ago using a temporary passport. The police are probing how he returned to Sri Lanka on a temporary passport having stolen the money, police said. The suspect is addicted to gambling.

He had cashed several stolen Euro currency notes at casino clubs in Colombo and elsewhere and spent lavishly during the last month. He had spent most of his time in Colombo and occasionally travelled to Marawila to hob nob with his old friends, police said. The fallout following the theft in Italy to other Sri Lankans was a major blow. Several Sri Lankans who had been employed by the Italian businessman at his company in Italy have been fired forthwith. It had also resulted in the collapse of his business, the sources said. It was revealed that the suspect who stole the money was a close confidant of the businessman.

The CID has informed the Interpol Headquarters and the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka about the arrest of the suspect by the Marawila police. The suspect was produced before the Marawila Magistrate's Courts on charges of possessing a National Identity Card (NIC) that did not tally with the details in his birth certificate.

He was granted bail. His passport too has been impounded.

Further investigations are being conducted by Acting Headquarters Inspector Marawila H. M. Rathnatilleke under the directions of DIG Putttalam I. M. Karunaratne and SP Chilaw Division D.C.K. Ranasinghe.