Cause of death revealed of Finance Ministry official interdicted over $2.5M cyber fraud

The death of the Assistant Director of the External Resources Department of the Ministry of Finance, who had been interdicted in connection with the alleged misappropriation of USD 2.5 million linked to a cyber heist, has been confirmed as a suicide.

Sri Lanka Police said that a panel of Judicial Medical Consultants, appointed to conduct the post-mortem examination on the body of the Assistant Director of the Finance Ministry’s Department of External Resources, concluded that all injuries were self-inflicted and that the death was due to suicide.

The official, identified as Ranga Rajapaksa, was found dead at his residence in Kuliyapitiya on Friday (30) by relatives, who subsequently informed the police.

According to police, the body was discovered in the garden of the residence after his daughter noticed him lying there and alerted other family members.

Police officers who arrived at the scene observed a large bloodstain near a banana tree. Authorities also noted several injuries on the body, including three cuts to one leg and another injury to an arm. A small knife was recovered from the vicinity.

Investigations were initially launched treating the incident as a suspicious death, with inquiries conducted to determine whether the death resulted from homicide, suicide, or an accident.

Accordingly, the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate visited the scene and conducted a magisterial inquiry on Friday. The body was subsequently transferred to the Kuliyapitiya Teaching Hospital for a post-mortem examination, police said.

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Ministry of Health stated that a panel comprising four Judicial Medical Consultants has been appointed to conduct the post-mortem examination of the Assistant Director of the Department of External Resources, who had been under interdiction over allegations related to the misappropriation of Treasury funds.