De-robed monk who swindled Rs. 30 Mn arrested

A de-robed Buddhist monk had been arrested by the Police for allegedly cheating about Rs.30 million by deceiving people promising job opportunities in Japan.

The de-robed monk had been a Parivenadhipathi in Kadugannawa. The Police arrested him after investigating into complaints received from 11 people who had given between Rs.1 million and 1.5 million to the monk. The monk, who had fled the area and de-robed as people were coming to the temple and asking for money they had given, was hiding in a house in Wilgamuwa.

About 40 people had given money to the monk with the expectation of finding employment in Japan.

The suspect was handed over to the Special Frauds Investigation Bureau of the Kandy Police for further investigations.