A man has been arrested by the Mirihana Special Investigations Unit over an alleged scheme that took money from people who responded to social media advertisements offering house construction services, police said.
Police allege the suspect defrauded victims of more than Rs. 25 million. The Mirihana unit said it had received 15 complaints against him in connection with the alleged fraud.
According to Ada Derana, the suspect used social media platforms to advertise house construction services and collected money from individuals before the alleged fraud was carried out.
Hiru News reported that the suspect operated two businesses and promoted the offer through Facebook advertisements, telling respondents that houses would be built for them on an easy payment plan. Hiru put the sum involved at several crores of rupees, consistent with the Rs. 25 million figure given by Ada Derana.
A similar case in July
The same Mirihana investigation unit arrested a company director in late July over an alleged scheme with a comparable profile — houses and land promoted through social media on affordable payment terms, with advances collected and the properties never delivered. That case involved five complaints at the time of the arrest, and the suspect was remanded by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court.
Police have not said whether the two cases are connected, and neither Ada Derana nor Hiru News linked them.
Further investigations are being conducted by the Mirihana Special Investigations Unit. No court appearance has been announced.
