A 54-year-old man who allegedly posed as a shrine priest and deceived property owners into handing over gold jewelry worth nearly Rs. 20 million, claiming he could help sell their properties through prayers, was arrested by the Nugegoda Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau.
Police said more than 40 sovereigns of gold jewelry allegedly obtained through the scam were recovered following questioning.
Investigations revealed that the suspect had allegedly targeted women who advertised houses and land for sale in weekend newspapers, carrying out the scheme over an extended period.
According to police, a woman in Mirihana had repeatedly advertised her house and land for sale in a weekend newspaper. The suspect allegedly contacted her, identified himself as a priest attached to a well-known shrine in a distant area, and claimed that divine powers had revealed her difficulty in selling the property.
He allegedly told her that he could perform a ritual to secure a quick sale. The woman invited him to her home to discuss the matter, where he said the ritual would cost Rs. 500,000.
When he returned on the agreed date, the suspect instructed her to place several pieces of gold jewelry in a small pot, cover it with a red or white cloth, and bring it to him as part of the ritual preparations.
Police said he placed the pot on an altar arranged with betel leaves and flowers and conducted prayers for several hours.
He allegedly instructed the woman to sprinkle water over the house and land after 21 days and retrieve the jewelry from the pot that day. He also assured her that a buyer would arrive within 14 days before collecting the agreed payment and leaving.
However, when the woman checked the pot after 21 days, the jewelry was missing. No prospective buyer had arrived either, police said.
Following her complaint to Mirihana Police, investigators discovered that a similar complaint had been lodged with Welikada Police.
The Nugegoda Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau investigated both complaints and, acting on information received, arrested the suspect while he was hiding at a house in the Top City Estate area of Thalagahawatta, Bingiriya.
Police said questioning revealed information about several other alleged incidents, including another woman being deceived in the Mirihana police area and gold jewelry worth nearly Rs. 800,000 being obtained through a similar scam in the Welikada police area.
Investigators said the suspect had allegedly concealed an identical pot covered with a red or white cloth and discreetly exchanged it for the pot containing the jewelry during the ritual.
A 36-year-old man from Mattakkuliya was also arrested after the suspect allegedly told police that he had sold the stolen jewelry to him.
