Saturday Oct 11, 2025
Saturday Oct 11, 2025
Saturday, 11 October 2025 00:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shanika Sriyananda
The Special Investigation Unit of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has arrested several suspects involved in large-scale scams that defrauded millions of rupees from job seekers by promising employment opportunities in European countries and Canada.
According to the SLBFE, the suspects have been arrested in two separate investigations following several complaints received against them connected to fraudulent operations targeting those seeking jobs abroad.
SLBFE’s Publicity Manager Madhushan Kularatne said that one of the arrested suspects, Sinharage Janaka Silva, a Sri Lankan-born Canadian citizen, was taken into custody on 9 October at the Bureau and was accused of defrauding Rs. 14.9 million from several people by promising jobs in Canada, using his status as a Canadian resident to gain victims’ trust.
The Bureau had received complaints from 10 victims against Silva for taking their money. The Bureau had reported the case to the Magistrate’s Court and obtained a travel ban against him.
Kularatne said that the suspect was questioned yesterday on charges of collecting money for foreign job placements without a valid recruitment licence, and was to be produced before the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court yesterday (10 October).
In another investigation by the SLBFE’s Special Unit, two suspects of the FC International agency had also been arrested for defaulting Rs. 20 million promising nursing jobs in Hungry, the Netherlands and Finland and the Bureau had received over 20 complaints from victims.
The agency is a registered employment agency based in Negombo, which had operated for about a year and a half but the investigations revealed that the agency had obtained job orders only from Hungary and no nursing jobs were available as they claimed.
According to Kularatne, the arrested individuals include a resident from Mawanella, who has experience in the foreign employment field and a retired Army Colonel from Kadawatha, who was taken into custody in Imbulgoda, Gampaha.
The owner of the agency, her husband, and the finance manager are currently evading arrest. The Negombo Magistrate’s Court ordered the suspects to be remanded until 10 October and issued travel bans on the others.
Meanwhile, in another racket a teacher from Mawanella was also arrested for operating an unlicensed agency called New Royal Recruitment. Kularatne said that he had allegedly posted Facebook advertisements offering jobs in Romania, Poland, and Germany and collected Rs. 300,000 from at least one complainant without providing employment. He was also due to be produced before the Mawanella Magistrate’s Court yesterday (10).
The SLBFE stated that these arrests are part of a wider effort to curb the growing number of foreign employment frauds, as the Bureau continues to receive numerous complaints from victims across the country.
The Special Investigation Police Unit, established under the directives of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, has expedited operations to track down fraudulent recruiters.
Kularatne said that the Bureau is receiving complaints from individuals who have fallen victim to such job scams and steps had also been taken to suspend the licences of such employment agencies.
The arrests were made by Police Inspectors – S.K.K. Madushanka and Alwis, investigation officer Idunil Pushpakumara and Police Sergeant Dahanayake, under the direction of the OIC of the Bureau’s Police Unit, Chief Inspector Ariyawansa.
The Bureau requests the public to report any suspicious employment offers or illegal recruitment agencies to the Special Investigation Division via 011 288 2228.
