Nuwara Eliya Police’s Anti-Vice Unit has arrested three individuals — including a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) member of the Kundasale Pradeshiya Sabha — for allegedly attempting to sell a gemstone valued at Rs 500 million without a valid licence.

Police said the suspects had claimed the gem would bring good fortune to its buyer and were preparing to sell it when they were apprehended.

Acting on information that the suspects were staying at a guesthouse in Labukale, Nuwara Eliya, officers deployed an undercover operative posing as a buyer. During negotiations, the suspects, who initially quoted a price of Rs 500 million, agreed to sell the gem for Rs 1 million.

The three suspects, aged between 40 and 50 and residents of Madawala and Wattegama, were taken into custody along with the gemstone. Police have sent it to the National Gem and Jewellery Authority to determine whether it is genuine or fake.

Under Sri Lankan law, the sale of gemstones requires a valid permit from the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. As the suspects did not possess such a permit, they are to be produced before the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court, police said.