Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a 43-year-old man accused of making multiple hoax calls claiming that a SriLankan Airlines flight arriving from Indonesia was to be hijacked. The suspect, who was tracked to a hotel in the Wellawatte Police Division, had allegedly made calls throughout June 11 to the 119 Police Emergency Unit, SriLankan Airlines, Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), and even the Presidential Secretariat, providing fabricated intelligence, including code numbers, to lend credibility to the claims.
The Katunayake Airport security unit was immediately alerted, triggering a rapid inter-agency response. Investigators used phone and tower data to pinpoint the location of the caller, who was found staying in a Wellawatte hotel where he had been living for three months, paying Rs. 3,000 per day.
Upon arrest, police seized a tablet, an iPhone, a portable router, two handsets, and bank receipts for foreign money transfers. The tablet reportedly contained photos of LTTE leaders, terrorist flags, images of world leaders, and airport and aircraft visuals, raising serious concerns over his motives and affiliations.
Police further revealed that the suspect had a warrant issued by the Jaffna Court, and had devised a method to receive US dollars from abroad possibly from illicit sources.
The suspect, a resident of Modara Street in Colombo 15, has since been handed over to the Katunayake Airport Police for in-depth questioning. Authorities are now probing whether the hoax was part of a larger agenda involving terrorism, misinformation, or extortion, especially given the sensitive material found in his possession.
Officials have reiterated that false threats targeting national security infrastructure will be dealt with severely, and a broader investigation is underway to identify any potential foreign or local collaborators.
