Bribe Drama at the Bus Stand: Fake Bribery Commission ‘Fixer’ Busted!

Dodangoda’s own Vinod Tharanga has found himself in hot water — and not the kind you can paint your way out of. The so-called artist was caught red-handed Thursday night, playing a very different kind of role: impersonating a Bribery Commission insider and allegedly shaking down two unsuspecting victims for cash.

According to spicy reports, Tharanga allegedly demanded Rs. 30,000 each from a school principal in Mathugama and a Sri Lanka Air Force officer from Ahungalla, promising — wait for it — to make their legal troubles disappear.

The trap snapped shut near the Mathugama bus stand at the Katukurunda junction, where sleuths from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption swooped in and arrested him. Word on the street is that the artist was allegedly running a con straight out of a crime thriller — minus the glamour.

His pitch?

For just Rs. 30,000 (conveniently to be deposited into his own bank account), he claimed he could arrange a letter stating that a corruption probe against the school principal would be dropped, and the case file “returned.” The money, he said, was for “Commission officers.” How generous of him.

As if that wasn’t bold enough, he tried the same stunt on an Air Force officer, claiming the officer was “at risk of arrest” in another mysterious investigation. For the same price — Rs. 30,000 — Tharanga allegedly offered a get-out-of-jail-free letter. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.

Now, instead of dodging inquiries, Tharanga is facing some serious ones himself, and is all set to appear before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.

Moral of the story? Don’t trust artists with legal advice — especially at bus stands.