Millionaire businessman remanded for stripping, videoing, and distributing a domestic worker.

A prominent businessman, a giant in the country's rubber export sector, inhumanely stripped a woman employed to look after his children at home, video-recorded the scenes, and released them to social media, a news story that caused a stir in recent days.

This incident concerns 43-year-old Mohamed Kamardeen Sasmi, a businessman residing in Borella, Colombo. He is also the owner of a leading rubber export company in the country. He released a video clip via 'WhatsApp' to social media, which showed him inhumanely sexually assaulting a woman who worked at his home, intimidating her, and forcibly stripping her. This video circulated widely on social media, causing great distress, and was brought to the attention of authorities as a serious issue concerning women's rights and human rights.

Following the public revelation of the incident, the suspect businessman attempted to flee his home and hide. A special investigation was launched under the direct intervention of the Inspector General of Police to apprehend the suspect, who was evading police investigations by staying in several well-known hotels. Accordingly, a special police team, acting on the instructions and orders of Deputy Inspector General of Police Darshika Kumari, who is in charge of the Child and Women Abuse Prevention and Investigation Division, successfully apprehended the main suspect while he was hiding in a tourist hotel in Hikkaduwa. In addition to the main suspect, two other individuals, Mohamed Raseed and Mohamed Hanifa, aged 44 and 55 respectively, residents of Eheliyagoda, were also arrested by the police on charges of aiding and abetting him to hide and attempting to conceal evidence from the police.

When the arrested suspects were presented in court, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Attorney-at-Law Wasantha Pitiyakumbura, Director of the Police Legal Division, presented facts to the court, highlighting the serious nature of this crime. According to the police, this 43-year-old millionaire businessman committed this inhumane sexual assault by threatening the innocent domestic worker, who was staying at his home to look after his children, with death. The police informed the court that even when the woman desperately pleaded, saying, "Oh sir, I beg you, please don't do this," he mercilessly and brutally stripped her and video-recorded her. The police further emphasized that this incident occurred publicly in front of others and was a highly despicable and uncivilized act.

Facts are currently being revealed that this crime was not limited to just one woman. The police informed the court that information has been received that the suspect had previously sexually assaulted several other women in a similar manner, stripped them, and video-recorded them. Furthermore, investigations have revealed that the suspect had sent the relevant nude videos via WhatsApp to several other women working at his business premises. Although the mobile phones and iPad devices used to record these video scenes have been taken into police custody, the Assistant Superintendent of Police also told the court that the suspect has so far refused to provide the necessary passwords to examine their data. The police pointed out that this is an obstruction to the investigation and that by not providing the passwords, he appears to be further attempting to conceal evidence.

Since the eyewitnesses to this incident are employees working at the suspect's own home or business, the police strongly objected to granting bail to the suspect, stating that he might use his wealth and influence to intimidate the witnesses. As there is information suggesting that he has used various tactics to evade the law in the past, the police requested that the suspect be remanded until the investigations are concluded.

Appearing for the suspect, Attorney-at-Law Bandula Dissanayake presented facts to the court, stating that this arrest was made solely on suspicion. The defense lawyer argued that the incident was not forced but occurred with the consent of the victimized woman. The lawyer stated that the woman who looked after the children had left the house without saying anything, and it appeared that this conspiracy was carried out with the intention of inconveniencing his client, who is a well-known businessman. He also informed the court that the suspect suffers from a mental illness and is receiving treatment in Ward 59 of the National Hospital. The lawyer stated that the suspect lacks the ability to withstand stress and has a quick temper, and informed that the passwords would be provided later. Commenting on the other arrested suspects, the lawyer said that the second suspect is the main suspect's father's brother, and the third suspect knows nothing about the incident.

However, after considering the facts presented by both parties, the Additional Magistrate ordered all three suspects to be remanded until the 2nd of next month and instructed the Prison Superintendent to refer the main suspect to a psychiatrist to obtain a report on his mental condition.

Meanwhile, several seriously suspicious facts regarding the suspect's family background and past conduct have been reported to the media. The suspect's father, M.T.M. Kamardeen, was also a well-known businessman in the country's export sector and had died in 2016 while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Narahenpita. However, information has been reported that the suspect, in relation to the current incident, stated while intoxicated that he had killed his own father to acquire property. There are also allegations that he threatened people near him, saying, "I killed my father, I'm not afraid to kill you all." With this statement, new doubts have arisen as to whether his father's death was natural or a murder.

The police succeeded in apprehending two more individuals who aided and abetted the crime against the woman. After presenting the suspects to the court, Colombo Additional Magistrate Oshada Migara Maharachchi ordered on the 19th that they be remanded until February 02nd.