Alleged cheating woman remanded, police told to follow procedure

Remanding a woman who was the wife of a well-known hotelier in Kandy, on charges of cheating several women of their gold jewellery valued at over one million rupees, Kandy Chief Magistrate Ravendra Premaratne ordered the police to follow regular procedure when prosecuting the case.

In this case Chandani Sellahewa was charged by the Special Crimes Investigation Unit of Kandy Police. Inspector Samaranayake said the accused had cheated several women of their gold jewellery with a promise of giving them a stake in a joint operation in a garment industry.

Inspector Samaranayake said the suspect had allegedly pawned the jewellery at several banks and added investigations were continuing.Appearing for the defendant, Attorney-at-Law Nanda Senanayake told Court that as there were a number of complainants, separate charge sheets and separate ‘B’ reports needed to be submitted so the defendant could state her case. He asked Court to order the police to file separate charge sheets.

The Magistrate ordered the police to file separate charge sheets.

Attorney-at-Law Nishan Gunasekera appearing for the aggrieved parties said the suspect had taken jewellery and money from the victims and left them penniless. He added the value of gold and monies taken by the suspect was higher than the amount stated in the ‘B’ report submitted by the police.

At the conclusion of the hearing the Magistrate ordered the suspect be remanded till November 21, 2012.