Dambara Amila Thero arrested on cheating charges - CID

By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

The arrest of the President of the National Bikkhu Front and Patriotic National Front, puravidya visharada, Dambara Amila thero by the CID has become one of the hottest political topics these days.
According to police media spokesman SSP IM Karunarathna, the CID arrested Dambara Amila thero on complaints lodged by several persons saying Amila thero cheated them promising foreign employment. But the opposition claims that his arrest was an organized conspiracy to silence anti government sentiments.
CID information reveals that the arrest of Amila thero was not the result of any political interference but the result of an investigation after several complaints were lodged against him. According to the complaints, Dambara Amila thero had cheated money from people on pledges of foreign employment and his driver, Nishan Janith, who was a Buddhist priest earlier, had been also involved in the alleged racket. The driver has gone into hiding and cannot be traced, CID states.

Cheated

Meanwhile, Dambara Amila thero was lodged at the ‘Bodhi Malu’ temple, Kuda Uduwa, Horana, and that is where he is said to have cheated people’s funds, the CID says.
“According to complaints and our investigations, Dambara Amila thero and his driver have taken money from people with the promise of providing them jobs in Korea. They have so far not provided anyone with employment but have cheated the money” said a high-ranking CID official.
“These people looking for employment have heard from various sources that the priest was sending people for jobs abroad. They had then gone to the temple in Horana to meet Amila thero and he had said that he could give them jobs in Japan, Italy and Korea. For a job in Japan, he had wanted a sum of between Rs 1, 000, 000 - Rs 1, 500, 000. But for a job in Korea, he had only asked for Rs 400 ,000 and most people had given him money to get jobs in Korea as a result. He requested only for an advance. But after receiving the advance, the thero had told them that aspirants would have to get through an interview conducted by the Foreign Employment Bureau, a Korean language test and a medical test before securing a job in Korea. All this happened in 2008, but the CID started receiving complaints from December 05, 2009 --- an official from the CID said.
The first complaint was lodged by Maitri Champika Kumara of Millewa, Horana and according to his story, he had at first given Rs 85, 000 to Amila thero and on the thero’s instructions, he had later given Rs 45,000 to the driver. The second complaint was made by Illukkam Ralalage Pradeep Manorathna, also a resident of Horana. He states that Amila thero had taken Rs 120,000 from him promising to get him a foreign job.
Jayasingha Arachchige Don Upul Warnakumara of Horana had complained that Amila thero recieved Rs 150,000 from him. The other complainants were Piyal Dhammika Fernando from Panadura, Sandun Jayasingha from Kuliyapitiya, Jayawardana Pathirage Saman Indika from Buttala, Janakantha Kithulgoda from Anguruwathota, from whom amounts of Rs 100, 000, 125 000 to 150 000 had been taken.

CID

According to police, Amila thero had been asked to call at the CID when he returned to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, as soon as he received the warrant he had telephoned IGP Mahinda Balasuriya to find out why he was being persued by the CID. The IGP had directed him to the CID. He was taken into CID custody several days later.
Amila thero was produced before the Bandaragama magistrate Anushka Senevirathna who mandated that he be remanded till January 8 considering the ‘B’ report produced by CID.
After he was remanded three more complaints against him had been lodged at the Horana police station and Nugegoda SSP’s office, CID sources say.
However, according to internal sources from the CID, Dambara Amila thero has denied all charges made against him. He has allegedly said that he hasn’t seen or met any of the complainants and that he had sacked his driver eight months ago on account of information which he had received that the driver had cheated money from people promising them foreign employment.
However,JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka sees the arrest of Dambara Amila thero as a political conspiracy.