The Special Investigation Division of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has arrested a woman in Maharagama accused of defrauding victims of more than Rs. 10 million through a fake overseas job placement scheme.
The suspect operated a business called “Global Educare Consultancy” without holding a valid SLBFE licence. Investigators said she posed as a student visa consultant while collecting payments from applicants for what were advertised as guaranteed jobs in Albania and Canada.
Officers raided the Maharagama premises and recovered several documents, including purported employment agreements, which are being examined as evidence. Victims from multiple parts of the country had filed complaints with the SLBFE.
The suspect was produced before the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court and remanded until April 9.
In a separate operation the same day, SLBFE investigators arrested two more suspects at an institution called “ASPA” in Meerigama over a similar scheme targeting workers with false offers of jobs in Japan. A woman from Minuwangoda and a man from Ja-Ela were taken into custody with the help of an undercover officer.
Unlicensed foreign employment agencies are a recurring enforcement target for the SLBFE, with complaints typically spiking ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, when families are under pressure to secure income. Authorities have repeatedly warned job seekers to verify agency licences on the SLBFE website before making payments.
