Three Chinese women fined Rs. 10 each for loitering

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Kollupitiya police arrested and produced in Court three Chinese women who loitered on the streets in Kollupitiya at night under the pretext of doing professional jobs. When the three Chinese women were produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate, they pleaded guilty to loitering charges and were ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 10 each.

Chief Inspector Mangala Dehideniya the OIC of Kollupitiya police station informed Court that three foreigners had given wrong information stating that they were doing professional jobs such as business managers of companies. Dehideniya further told that police were unable to find such business places which are mentioned in their passports.

Meanwhile, when the Magistrate queried about the visas in respect of each accused, defence counsel Sudarshani Gunaratne informed that the concerned visas had been handed over to the Immigration and Emigration Department in order to renew them.  Accordingly, the Magistrate ordered the Court registrar that the Immigration and Emigration authorities be informed about these three cases and be considered the matter in the process of renewing their visas.

Three Chinese women were arrested by Kollupitiya police while they were wandering near the Cameron Place and St. Anthony’s Mawatha in Kollupitiya at night. The Kollupitiya police charged that the accused had wandered on the street in a way to lure people. Police further admitted in Court that when they were arrested by police they were unable to give a reasonable answer to the charge of loitering on a street at night. Police charged that the accused had committed a punishable offence which comes under section 3(B) of the Vagrancy Ordinance.