Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Neville Silva, the former Director of the Colombo Crime Division (CCD), was arrested today (09) at the Police Field Force Headquarters by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Silva is accused of involvement in a gem-related fraud tied to a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) and a former Western Province Police Chief, as per internal police sources.
Sources further disclosed that the main suspect in the case, a CCD officer, has fled the country and is now residing in Europe.
The case traces back to August 2023, when a man filed a complaint with the CCD claiming the theft of approximately Rs. 140 million of gemstones. The complainant allegedly approached the CCD through a senior police official from the Western Province.
The accused in the complaint was a gem businessman from Ratnapura. Instead of referring the high-value case to the CID, as protocol demands, the CCD registered the complaint themselves. They raided the businessman’s premises, recovered gemstones, and presented them to the court.
However, allegations have surfaced that the main suspect in the CCD, who has now fled the country, misappropriated some of the seized gemstones during the process. The businessman was arrested, charged with theft, and presented in court.
Former Director of the Colombo Crime Division, Assistant Superintendent of Police Neville Perera, is accused of aiding and abetting the forcible property acquisition outside the legal system.
The suspect will be produced before the Ratnapura Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. The CID has taken over the investigation and is working to uncover further details.
