A thief extorted money claiming to be 'OIC Valana Indika'.

A person suspected to be connected to the underworld, who was engaged in large-scale extortion by fraudulently using the identity of Chief Police Inspector Indika Weerasinghe, the OIC of the Panadura Walana Central Anti-Corruption Striking Force, has been arrested by the police. This arrest was made yesterday (25) afternoon in the Bandaragama area, and at the time of the arrest, investigating officers also managed to find 25 grams and 620 milligrams of heroin in the suspect's possession.

The suspect operated this racket by impersonating the police OIC through a Facebook account, targeting wealthy businessmen across the island. Police investigations have revealed that he intimidated these businessmen by claiming to have received petitions alleging their involvement in illegal activities, thereby extorting millions of rupees from them. He was apprehended yesterday during a swift raid conducted by the Walana Anti-Corruption Force when he arrived near the Bandaragama expressway entrance to collect one hundred thousand rupees from one such businessman.

In addition, Buddhist monks and nuns residing in temples and monasteries in various parts of the island have also fallen victim to this racketeer's scams. It has been revealed that he gained their trust by claiming that the Chief Police Inspector's sister, residing in England, was preparing a charitable alms-giving event, and subsequently subtly embezzled funds from the bank accounts of the respective temples and monasteries using technical methods.

Police state that the individual apprehended by the law does not have a permanent residence. It has been further revealed that he operated this criminal network by concealing his identity and residence, temporarily living in areas such as Matara, Ambalantota, Galle, and Marawila from time to time.