Man sentenced to six years in prison for apartment fraud

A man from Mount Lavinia received six years of hard labor after promising a woman an apartment belonging to the Housing Authority and taking 1.95 million Sri Lankan rupees from her.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama sentenced Ashoka Sisira Kumara after a lengthy case that had been heard since 2021. The court convicted him on three charges: defrauding the victim, criminal misappropriation and presenting forged documents as if they were official government records.

Police from the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau told the court that Kumara had handed the woman fake documents purporting to come from the Housing Authority, along with a key to the apartment. Prosecutors asked for the maximum punishment, saying the offense involved deceiving vulnerable people to obtain money.

The magistrate imposed two years for each of the three charges, totaling six years. He also ordered Kumara to pay the complainant 100,000 rupees in compensation. If he fails to pay, he must serve an additional six months in prison. His lawyer had asked for a sentence that would allow him to return to society, noting that he has a young child, but the court rejected that request.