Police have arrested an employee of a private financial institution in Badulla's gold pawning section for allegedly cheating over Rs. 19.6 million by replacing real gold jewellery with imitation pieces.
The arrest followed an investigation by the Special Crime Unit of the Badulla Police Division. The suspect was taken into custody after a complaint was lodged by the financial institution’s manager.
During the suspect's interrogation, police recovered 41 imitation gold items, including necklaces, rings, bracelets, and pendants. The suspect had allegedly used these imitation items to issue fraudulent documents when clients pawned genuine gold jewellery.
Further investigation revealed the suspect purchased imitation jewellery online and substituted them for the pawned gold items, which he then pawned himself. The suspect also paid the interest on the pawned jewellery in the owners' names.
