The education assistant manager sold over 20,000 textbooks to the bookshop.

The Assistant Manager of the Department of Educational Publications for the Eastern Province and the General Manager of a private institution located in Biyagama have been arrested by the Talangama Police in connection with an incident where a stock of textbooks and activity books, valued at over eight hundred thousand rupees, allocated for first-year Tamil medium students in the Eastern Province for their third term, was not delivered to the relevant centers but instead sold to a scrap paper dealer.

Investigations have commenced following a complaint made on the 12th of last month by Mrs. N.W.D. Niroshi Gunawardena, Commissioner of Production and Distribution at the Department of Educational Publications. It has been revealed that although 19,892 books were contractually handed over to the relevant private institution in the Biyagama area for delivery to 12 distribution centers located in the Eastern Province, the institution acted in breach of its trusteeship.

The lorry driver of the said private institution involved in this racket was arrested on the 14th of last month and remanded. Interrogations of the suspect driver revealed that on May 24th of last year, he took possession of this stock of books, transported them to his home in Demale, and stored them. It is stated that a few days later, this stock of books, weighing 1600 kg, was sold for 47,000 rupees to a lorry that collects old newspapers and plastic.

Subsequently, during questioning of the lorry driver who collected the old newspapers, it was revealed that the stock of books had been handed over to an old newspaper and paper packing facility located in the Peliyagoda area. When the police investigation team visited and inspected the location, it was further confirmed that the said stock of books had been machine-pressed, packed, and exported to India a few days prior.

These two suspects, residents of Kirivaththuduwa and Kadawatha areas, have been arrested on charges of criminal misappropriation, breach of trust, abetting and inciting damage to government property by negligently carrying out administrative duties. Under the instructions of Acting OIC of Talangama Police, Chief Inspector Ranjan Edirisinghe, and led by OIC of the Criminal Investigation Division, Inspector Sampath Madurapperuma, officers Sub-Inspector Jude, Sergeant Siriwardhana (66640), and Constables Sarath (65283) and Mihiranga (78864) conducted these investigations.