A retired Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Wasantha Kapukotuwa, has been arrested by the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau for allegedly orchestrating a scam to secure a loan of Rs. 3.4 million from an international bank branch in Sri Lanka. Kapukotuwa purportedly used a counterfeit national identity card under his son's name to execute the fraud.
The investigation, triggered by a complaint lodged on April 25, 2015, by Kapukotuwa's son, unveiled the elaborate scheme. The son reported an unauthorized bank account opened in his name at a private commercial bank in Sri Lanka, prompting a thorough probe by the Fraud Investigation Bureau.
During the inquiry, it was discovered that a loan had been fraudulently obtained in the son's name. Two individuals from the loan department of the foreign bank were arrested in 2019 and 2023, shedding light on the involvement of a businessman named Gemunu Dissanayake, who was abroad during the transactions.
Kapukotuwa denied any knowledge of Dissanayake when questioned. However, further investigation revealed his complicity in the fraud, facilitated by a fabricated national identity card resembling his son's features.
The investigation bureau noted that the imposter claiming to be Kapukotuwa's son had been residing abroad for an extended period. He was arrested upon his arrival in Sri Lanka on April 25.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to Kapukotuwa's direct involvement in the scam. It was disclosed that the entirety of the loan amount had been withdrawn by Kapukotuwa. The funds were transferred from a branch of the international bank to an account in a leading private commercial bank, also opened under the son's name. The manager of the implicated bank was subsequently arrested.
