Ambalantota PANORA chief nabbed

Ambalanthota Panora chief who taught  how to earn lakhs of money through internet .... taken into custody while hiding
One Jayasingha Mahawadige Somalal, 33 years of age, supposed to be the owner of a finance institution dealing in Panorama commercials located in the town of Ambalanthota had been operating the said business on an illegal basis by introducing methods whereby money could be earned with ease across the internet was nabbed by the police last night when he had been hiding.

He is supposed to have cheated a sum of over Rs. 15 crores and since he had been avoiding those involved in transactions, according to information, had left the country. However, when he had been at a place close to Colombo, having fled from Ambalanthota area had been taken into custody by the Tangalla Investigation Unit last night. He is expected to be produced at Hambanthota courts today.

It is learned that 226 persons who transacted business with the said firm had complained to Ambalanthota Police about the suspect while the number of those who had not lodged any complaints are even more in number.

Police said that a jeep of intercooler-type and a Dolphin-type van in suspect's position have been taken into police custody. Tangalla Crime Investigation Unit are conducting further investigations.

Jayasingha Mahawadige Somalal who was in the midst of the group of members who were cornered having tried to operate a business by the name of Luminus in Tissamaharama, later had launched Panora Institute in Walawa area in Ambalanthota towards the middle of the year 2013 where a crowd of over 20,000 had obtained membership and  he had paved the way for them to earn a sum of somewhere between Rs. 20,000 -- 40,000 per month by clicking a commercial advertisement across various packages.

Whatever it is, Somalal who did not take steps to pay that cash at once without delay,  the money thus earned from that income-method had deposited it in his accounts had avoided the members.

When not receiving the promised income for a number of months, the members who came in search of the establishment found that Somalal by that time had disappeared from both the main office of the establishment and from his home in Bandagiriya.

After receiving public complaints,the Sri Lanka Central Bank and a number of other sections related to monetary activities have conducted several investigations and made the establishment concerned registering it with legal sanctions of the government,  liable for payment of taxes thereby.

When members of Panorama visited the office last December and made a fuss demanding the money, Somalal had spoken over a phone in the office and had said with loudspeakers switched on that as soon as investigations of the Central Bank came to a close, the promised monies would be settled, thus hoodwinking the members; and even after a lapse of 6 months the payments had not properly been settled.

It was understood that with the monies so collected, Panorama Advertising Institution had by this time acquired the status of 'Holdings' and was in possession of even a network of supermarkets, petrol sheds and a number of other businesses including timber stores.

Somalal is in possession of a Defender vehicle, a jeep, a Dolphin van and a Honda Hybrid vehicle.

Mahawadige Somalal who had been taken into custody last night on suspicion of a fraud of 15 crores is expected to be produced before Hambanthota Courts today.