Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala, during a talk show with a private television channel, revealed how a man pretending to be a staff member of the ministry deceived him on his very first day in office.

Watagala recounted, “When I arrived at the ministry premises to assume my duties, this person was there to welcome me. A tea party had been organised to mark the occasion, and he was actively involved in arranging it. Naturally, I assumed he was an official from the ministry. Meanwhile, he told the ministry staff that he was from the Presidential Secretariat.”

The deputy minister further explained that the individual later invited him to visit various sections of the ministry, including areas related to passport preparation, claiming that no minister had ever toured those sections before.

“The next day, I discovered that this person had instructed ministry staff to provide voice clips to the media praising me as a good person and an excellent deputy minister,” Watagala said. “Our party members became suspicious and advised me that this individual, who appeared to be part of my team, might not be suitable for the role.”

Upon inquiring with ministry officials, Watagala learned that it was his team who had removed the man from the premises. However, the story didn’t end there.

“Later, I found out that this person had approached the passport office, claiming he needed 17 passports under my instructions. After collecting them, he fled the scene,” the deputy minister revealed.

The individual has since been identified as Nishantha. “I have instructed the police to arrest him,” Watagala said.