Couple taken to court after man falsely reports snatch theft to avoid overseas customs tax

A married couple were hauled to court on Friday (March 6) after they allegedly carried out a plan to avoid paying overseas customs tax on gold jewellery by claiming to be victims of snatch theft.

The couple, Hewa Sahabanduge Waruna Kanishka, 30, and Jayasekara Gamlath Ralalage Yehelichathurika, 29, were charged with obstruction of justice with common intention.

Hewa, who had lodged a police report over the fake theft, was handed another charge of providing false information to a public servant.

In a media release, the police said Hewa had made a report on March 4, alleging that a stranger had stolen his black sling bag containing gold jewellery, a phone, and $400 in cash along Queen Street in Bugis.

The "stolen" items were worth an estimated $21,668.

"In view of the seriousness of the report, the police deployed significant resources to investigate the alleged offence and to search for the perpetrator," it said.

But officers discovered discrepancies in Hewa's account, and he allegedly admitted to having lodged a false report to evade overseas customs tax.

Investigations also found that his wife, Jayasekara, was aware of the false report and had hidden the gold jewellery in a bottle in her haversack.

The police said the couple had allegedly obstructed justice by concealing this evidence.

Hewa and his wife had allegedly done so as they did not want to pay tax in Sri Lanka for the over $20,000 worth of gold that they had bought in Singapore, reported The Straits Times.

For obstructing justice, offenders can be jailed for up to seven years, or fined, or both.

Providing false information to a public servant carries a jail term of up to two years, or a fine, or both.

The pre-trial conference for the case will be held on March 19.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com