Galgepitiya Temple’s Chief Incumbent falls prey to conmam

The Badulla Police have arrested the man alleged to have cheated the Historic Galgepitiya Temple’s Chief Incumbent of Rs.635,000 by posing as the Secretary of the Buddhist Affairs Ministry.

Police said the suspect was a resident of Uva-paranagama and worked as a building contractor.

Investigations revealed that the Ven.thera had requested the Prime Minister for a grant of Rs.3.1 million to develop the temple and he had received a reply from the Ministry of Buddist Affairs. When the suspect who visited the temple for some other purpose had noticed the letter and told the Thera that he was the secretary of the Buddhist Affairs Ministry and that he could help the Thera to obtain the grant.the suspect had promised to obtain approval for a grant of Rs.5 million instead of Rs.3.1 million originally requested for by the Thera. The man had become a regular visitor to the temple and obtained a loan from the Thera promising to return it soon.

The Thera told the police that he had even signed several blank cheques allowing the suspect to write the amount required in the hope of receiving Rs.5 million from the ministry. A few days ago he had met the Thera and frightened him saying the ministry had initiated an investigation against him for offering bribes to a ministry official and that the investigation could be brushed under the carpet if the Thera could give pay him Rs.350,000.

It was too late when the Thera realized that he had fallen prey to a fraudster and complained to the Badulla police, who arrested the suspect. Police personnel under Badulla Police HQI Chief Inspector Maniyangama is conducting investigations on the instructions of ASP Udith Liyanage and SP Dhammika Weerasekara.