Two suspects have been arrested over the disappearance of a stock of school textbooks valued at approximately Rs. 800,000, which had been allocated for distribution to students in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province.
The arrests were made following an investigation by Thalangama Police after the Educational Publications Department reported that the textbooks had not reached their intended recipients.
According to police investigations, the textbooks were handed over to an institution in the Biyagama area that had been contracted by the Educational Publications Department to transport and distribute them among students.
A total of 19,892 textbooks were included in the consignment. The stock had been taken into the custody of a driver attached to a lorry belonging to the contracted institution in May.
However, the textbooks were not delivered as required. After the department received information regarding the missing consignment, an official lodged a complaint with Thalangama Police.
Investigations subsequently led to the arrest of the lorry driver. Police reportedly found that he had sold the entire stock to a person engaged in collecting used bottles and waste paper for recycling.
The driver is alleged to have received Rs. 47,000 for the textbooks, which were sold by weight rather than being distributed as intended.
Police later arrested the individual who purchased the textbooks. During questioning, the suspect reportedly told investigators that he had subsequently sold the books to a recycling facility in Peliyagoda that handles old newspapers and waste paper.
Thalangama Police said investigations are continuing, with several other suspects believed to be connected to the incident yet to be arrested.
The investigation remains focused on tracing the movement of the missing textbooks and identifying all those involved in the alleged sale and recycling of the educational materials.
Leave your comments
Login to post a comment
Post comment as a guest