Sri Lanka prison chief kept in custody after fraud convict freed
Commissioner-General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya was arrested late Monday by the Criminal Investigations Department, over the release of fraud convict Athula Thilakaratne.
The government suspended Upuldeniya following reports the convict's name was smuggled into a list of nearly 400 minor offenders who were granted a presidential amnesty last month.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Rathnayake ordered Upuldeniya be held in custody until Wednesday, pending a criminal investigation.
"It was decided to suspend the Commissioner-General until the investigations are concluded," the Justice Ministry said in a statement.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's office ordered the police investigation last week after the release of Thilakaratne.
He was serving a six-month sentence over a financial scam and is also facing 30 other fraud cases.
Police have launched a manhunt for Thilakaratne, who went missing after his unlawful release from prison was reported in the local media.
A presidential amnesty was granted to 388 inmates last month to mark Vesak, the most important Buddhist festival on the island.
Thilakaratne "was not among those approved by the president to receive a pardon", Dissanayake's office said.
The president told a public rally last week that corruption was rife in prisons and called for a major clean-up.
He also warned officials to improve or face the sack.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
23-07-2025
- The National
UAE arrests 32,000 over six months in visa overstay crackdown
More than 32,000 people were arrested for flouting UAE visa rules in the first half of the year under a renewed crackdown launched following the end of a nationwide amnesty campaign. About 70 per cent of those held for breaches of entry and residency rules between January and the end of June were subsequently deported, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) said on Tuesday. Authorities had previously warned that enforcement action would be stepped up after the four-month visa amnesty drive, which ran from September 1 to December 31. Maj Gen Suhail Al Khaili, director general of the ICP, said the inspection campaigns would continue, in an effort to ensure all sections of society abide by the law. He said visa offenders and others assisting them would face legal action and financial fines if caught out and urged employers against hiring illegal workers. Why was amnesty campaign important? The government's visa amnesty aimed to offer a reprieve to people living in the country without valid documentation, who may be reluctant to come forward due to fears over being jailed or fined. It gave them a crucial grace period to settle their legal status or leave the country without facing legal action or heavy financial penalties. It is also an opportunity for many to step out of the shadows and grasp the chance of a fresh start – whether in the UAE or back in their home country. There are several reasons why people may try to remain in the country without valid documentation. Although some may be seeking to evade detection, others will have lost jobs and businesses or split from a spouse, leaving them without a sponsor. More than 236,000 people living in Dubai alone without valid residency documentation benefited from the UAE government's visa amnesty drive, officials said before the close of the scheme. What are the visa rules? Most residents living or working in the UAE have a two or three-year visa in their passport. That has since been replaced with the Emirates ID. In April 2022, visa changes were introduced by the UAE Cabinet and more categories were added. This included an expansion of golden visas and the introduction of green visas, with several of the new categories aimed at self-employed people and business owners. The new rules came into effect in September that year. What are the overstay fines? The financial penalty has been standardised at Dh50 a day for tourists or residents who overstay their visas, following updates by the ICP in October 2022.
The National
18-07-2025
- The National
Lebanon seeks deal to send overcrowded prison inmates to Syria
Lebanon is seeking a treaty that would see most Syrian prisoners serve the rest of their sentence in their homeland in a bid to ease severe overcrowding in Lebanese jails. At Lebanon's largest jail of Roumieh, authorities have also reopened a court – which had last been active during the Covid-19 pandemic – as they seek to speed up the judicial process for suspects from Lebanon, Syria or elsewhere. The idea of a treaty with Syria was formulated by Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who came into the position earlier this year in a new Lebanese government seeking to bring about reform in a country long plagued by institutional malaise. Mr Nassar has also pushed forward with a draft law for enhanced judicial independence in a country where courts have long suffered from political interference. It is part of a wider push for an overhaul of the judicial system that includes its digitisation. A raft of new judges has also been appointed. 'When the Prime Minister went to Syria I addressed this issue with him,' Mr Nassar said, referring to the April visit to Damascus by Nawaf Salam, himself a former judge who headed the International Court of Justice until the start of the year. 'He addressed this to the Syrian authorities regarding the possibility to enter in to a treaty that would allow Syrian detainees in Lebanon to continue their sentence in Syria,' Mr Nassar told The National from his office at the Justice Ministry in Beirut. 'But this would not apply to people who were condemned for terrorism or for killing Lebanese citizens and soldiers – or [other] major crimes. It would apply for the majority, which are people who are sentences for stealing, for fraud etc. Not for killing Lebanese citizens,' added the minister, a Harvard-educated lawyer. Lebanon's prisons are notorious for their overcrowding and cramped conditions, with a population hovering around 8,500. Last year, about 80 per cent of them were yet to have their case go to trial. About 2,000 Syrian detainees are believed to be housed in Lebanese jails. The Lebanese government estimates about 1.5 million Syrian Some of them, however, are held on terrorism charges for fighting against the Lebanese Army. In one case in 2014 in the border town of Arsal in the north-west reaches of Lebanon, fighters from ISIS and Jabhat Al Nusra – which included Syrian nationals – engaged in deadly clashes with the Lebanese Army for about a week. Mr Nassar has not had direct contact with his Syrian counterpart, but insists the conversations are continuing between authorities in Beirut and Damascus. Pressure on Lebanon Last week SyriaTV reported that authorities were seeking to pressure Lebanon through political and diplomatic measures to address the issue of Syrian detainees – although that report was later denied by the Ministry of Information in Damascus, which said it sought to address the issue through official channels. Nonetheless, a high-level Syrian delegation is expected in Beirut in the near future – with the prison situation expected to be on the agenda, even if the visit has not been officially confirmed. The treaty idea was floated by Mr Nassar, and awaits a response and action from the Syrian side. 'I hope that the Syrian authorities will follow up on that because we opened the door and we are willing co-operate with them,' Mr Nassar said. 'I welcome a visit from the Syrian minister of justice to discuss the possibility to sign a treaty in order to have the issue addressed.' Roumieh, an otherwise picturesque town overlooking Beirut, is home to by far the largest prison in Lebanon with about 3,400 detainees despite the buildings being built for 1,200. Raja Abi Nader, the judge that heads the prisons directorate at the Ministry of Justice, said the Roumieh courts were relaunched on June 3, with 500 detainees having their case heard. By reopening the courts in Roumieh, the logistical time for suspects for be transferred has been dramatically cut, authorities say. 'Syrians, like Lebanese detainees, are suffering from the fact that prisons are overcrowded,' Mr Nassar said.
Khaleej Times
15-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Bank consultant loses Dh100,000 to WhatsApp-based online trading scam
Satish Gadde (name changed on request), an Indian bank consultant in Dubai, has filed a police complaint after losing Dh100,000 to an online trading scam — money he borrowed through a personal loan and is now repaying in Dh8,000 monthly instalments, more than half his salary. The entire scam unfolded over WhatsApp chats. Gadde was added to a group and never once spoke to or met the people who tricked him. 'Looking back, I can't believe I went through with it,' he told Khaleej Times last week. 'I trusted people I knew nothing about, not even what they sounded like. That's what eats me up the most.' Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. It all began in April, when Gadde, who hails from Andhra Pradesh and earns Dh14,000 a month, was added to a WhatsApp group called Stock Market Strategy C4. The group had 137 members and was operated by admins using Indian mobile numbers. 'At first, I ignored the messages,' he recalled. 'But then I started seeing members post screenshots of huge profits and deposit slips. It looked convincing.' What Gadde didn't realise was that the group was part of an elaborate con where scammers posed as successful investors to build credibility. 'They had people pretending to be customers, constantly thanking the admin for helping them make money. I thought I was missing out.' Eventually, he received a private message from one of the admins offering to guide him personally. Over the next few days, Gadde was encouraged to open a trading account on a platform called Following the admin's instructions, he wired Dh65,000 in two instalments to a UAE bank account. He also transferred Rs800,000 (roughly Dh35,000) from his Indian accounts to another bank account provided by the scammers. 'To be honest, I had some doubts,' he admitted. 'But they sent me what looked like official documents — a company registration from India and even a certificate that claimed to be from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. That reassured me.' These certificates later turned out to be fake. Once the funds were deposited, Gadde's account on the fake trading platform began showing steady profits. 'There were real-time charts and graphs. I would stare at the screen for hours. It felt real.' The illusion shattered when the so-called account manager messaged him claiming that an IPO had been purchased on his behalf — and unless he deposited another Dh620,000, his entire investment would be lost. 'That's when I panicked,' Gadde said. 'I tried calling, but no one answered. A week later, the website vanished.' In the days that followed, he dialed several numbers from the WhatsApp group, hoping to reach someone. 'Most were switched off. A few would ring, but the call would cut the moment I brought up my case,' he said. 'It was clear they wanted nothing to do with me once the money was gone.' Attempts by Khaleej Times to reach the numbers linked to the group and access were met with dead ends. A domain search revealed that the registrant details were redacted for privacy. 'My life's been turned upside down,' he said who filed a complaint with Al Riffa Police station last month . 'I shared my story so others don't fall into the same trap. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.' In recent months, Khaleej Times has uncovered several fraudulent trading platforms promoted via call centres in India and the UAE. These scams follow a familiar script — build trust, show fake profits, then block withdrawals once larger sums are invested. Earlier this month, the UAE Ministry of Interior issued a public alert on X, urging residents to verify the licensing status of trading platforms through the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) before investing.
