The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has rejected a request by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to impose overseas travel bans on 04 persons including racing star –  Dilantha Malagamuwa, over an alleged land fraud.The other 03 individuals named in the request were Shantha Vithana Gamage, Desmond Amarasinghe and Saman Jayaweera.

The CID told court that the 04 persons were being investigated over an alleged large-scale scheme involving the preparation of forged deeds and the unlawful acquisition and sale of land in Colombo and other areas and pointed out that the individuals’ departure from the country could hamper the ongoing investigation.Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva instead directed the CID to take steps to name the 04 individuals as suspects in the investigation before seeking travel restrictions against them.
The investigation relates to the alleged sale of a 43-perch property on Barnes Place, Colombo 7, valued at more than Rs. 2.5 billion, for Rs. 01 billion to a well-known vehicle sales company.

CID officers told court that preliminary investigations had revealed that 03 of the 04  individuals had allegedly shared money received from the sale, while Malagamuwa had allegedly received 14 luxury vehicles instead of cash.The CID said further investigations are being conducted into the individuals who allegedly received the money and acquired vehicles.An 80-year-old resident of Pannipitiya, Ariyapala Dissanayake, who was arrested in connection with the case, is currently in remand custody. The magistrate also called for a medical report on Dissanayake, who is said to be in poor health.