A Chinese man who stole US$ 14,000 from a Lebanese businessman’s wallet inside the plane while he was coming to Sri Lanka from Oman to seek medical treatment for his mother, was arrested and handed over by the Immigration and Emigration department officials to the airport police when he arrived at Katunayake airport yesterday (15) morning to flee to India.
The 48-year-old Chinese national along with the Lebanese businessman and his mother had arrived at the Katunayake Airport from Muscat, Oman at 7.20 on December 13 morning in an Oman Air flight.
Although the Katunayake Airport Police and the Airport Tourist Police jointly executed many operations to arrest the Chinese national who stole the money from the Lebanese businessman at that time, all efforts had failed.
Meanwhile, this Chinese national had arrived at the Katunayake airport yesterday (15) at 1.20 in the morning to leave for Chennai, India on the AI-284 flight of the Indian Airlines.
At that time, he was arrested and handed over to the Katunayake Airport police by the officials of the Immigration and Emigration Department.
This Chinese national has been arrested by the police for having a number of currency units of different countries of the world worth Rs.827,712.76 in his possession. A spokesperson of the Katunayake Airport Police said that this Chinese national has declared to the police that he is a salesman engaged in selling tea around the world and that he is in possession of the money earned from those activities.
The Katunayake Airport Police, who are conducting further investigations on this Chinese national, have taken steps to present him to the Negombo Magistrate’s Court on December 15.
T.K.G.Kapila