Fact Check: Viral ‘Daily Mirror’ Article Claiming Ashok Pathirage Promoted a High-Return Investment Scheme Is Fake

Recently, a viral post has been circulating on Facebook and other social media platforms regarding leading businessman Ashok Pathirage, the founder and current chairman of Softlogic Holdings. The claim states that Ashok Pathirage revealed a “secret” investment scheme during the popular program Truth with Chamuditha, which could allegedly help individuals earn between Rs. 580,000 and Rs. 880,000 per day. It further claims that although this method is legal, he has been accused of revealing sensitive information that could harm the country’s economy and has therefore been detained by the government. The posts also suggest that the public, angered by this action, has begun protesting. As this alleged income source is portrayed as an easy and legal way to earn money, it has attracted significant public attention. Therefore, we decided to carry out a fact check on this claim.

Social Media Posts :

A commercial advertisement circulating on Facebook claimed that the Daily Mirror had reported the story under the headline, “Pathirage is cuffed: Here’s the beginning of a billionaire’s downfall.”

The advertisement also featured an image depicting Ashok Pathirage being arrested, as shown below.

Once this advertisement is clicked, it redirects users to a webpage that appears to be an official news article from Daily Mirror. The article claims that Ashok Pathirage is living a luxurious lifestyle from a daily income earned by investing just LKR 73,000 in an alleged online platform named “BlizzerdPro.” It further states that he can earn between Rs. 580,000 and Rs. 880,000 per day through this platform, and that anyone investing in it could reach their first million within 1 to 2 months. The webpage continues with a detailed write-up, presented as statements made by him during the Truth with Chamuditha program.

Archived Link

This article also includes a dialogue presented as part of the script of the Truth with Chamuditha program. According to this, Ashok Pathirage, while explaining this method of earning extra income, takes Chamuditha Samarawickrama’s tablet and opens an account on the alleged online platform by depositing Rs. 73,000. It further claims that, after 30 minutes, the account balance had increased to Rs. 94,271, showing a net profit of Rs. 21,271. The article also states that Pathirage described this method as completely legal.

The article further claims that, following this interview, the revelation of this investment method led to thousands of people earning money through it, which allegedly caused harm to the economy. It also states that, as a result, Ashok Pathirage was summoned to court, and that members of the public took to the streets in support of him. The article goes on to claim that, after examining his accounts, no illegal activity was found in his actions. It further states that the government itself had confirmed that anyone could legally earn money through the investment platform known as “BlizzerdPro.”

Fact Check :

First, we examined whether an interview with Ashok Pathirage had been featured in the Truth with Chamuditha program hosted by Chamuditha Samarawickrama. During this process, we identified an episode of the program featuring Ashok Pathirage, from which the images used in the alleged Daily Mirror news article appear to have been taken.

We reviewed the full program, published on YouTube on June 3, 2020. However, no conversation like the one claimed in the above article appears in the program. At no point does Chamuditha Samarawickrama raise a question regarding an additional income source, nor does Ashok Pathirage mention any method of earning extra income or investment scheme. The full program can be viewed below.

The above-mentioned interview between Ashok Pathirage and Chamuditha Samarawickrama was conducted in 2020, whereas the article in question was published on April 27, 2026. While the article claims that Pathirage was summoned to court and that the public protested against it, no such incident has been reported by mainstream media outlets, as would be expected if such events had actually occurred.

However, there is no evidence to support the claim that, based on the 2020 Truth with Chamuditha program, Ashok Pathirage was arrested and produced in court for revealing an additional income source or investment method that allegedly caused harm to the government. There are also no reports either in mainstream media or on social media indicating that the public protested in support of him, or that the investment method he allegedly revealed was later deemed a legal scheme suitable for anyone to use.

The Daily Mirror has not published any article as shown above.

Thereafter, we examined whether the Daily Mirror had indeed published the article mentioned above. However, we could not find any such article on its official website.

The alleged article has been fabricated to resemble an article from the Daily Mirror website

Furthermore, when examining the domain of the article, it was found that it was not hosted on the official Daily Mirror website domain (dailymirror.lk), as shown below.

A visual comparison between the domain shown in the social media post and the official Daily Mirror website domain is provided below.

Therefore, this confirms that this article wasn’t published on the Daily Mirror website.

A fabricated article designed to resemble content from the Daily Mirror website is currently circulating on social media. It has been identified as misleading to readers.

The article, titled “Fans advocate for Ashok Pathirage release after controversial interview,” was not published by the Daily Mirror newspaper or its official website. This has been confirmed through the official Daily Mirror website, as shown below.

Ashok Pathirage

When we contacted the personal secretary of Ashok Pathirage for clarification, she stated that the article in question is fake.

She further confirmed that Ashok Pathirage has not made any statements regarding such an investment scheme, and that necessary legal action is already being taken regarding this fabricated content.

Legal cases involving Ashok Pathirage

There was a case filed by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) against Ashok Pathirage, members of the Board of Directors of Asiri Medical Hospital, and one employee over the sale of 11 types of medicines above the government-approved maximum retail price. In January 2024, a representative appearing on behalf of the hospital pleaded guilty before the Acting Magistrate of the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court, and a fine of Rs. 25,000 was imposed.

However, following submissions by the NMRA and the complainant party stating that the fine was insufficient and that the legal procedure was flawed, the previous order was annulled by the Magistrate in July 2024, and a re-trial was ordered from the beginning.

As the defendants failed to appear before court despite being instructed, warrants were issued for their arrest on September 25, 2025. The accused later appeared before court on September 26, 2025, and were granted bail. Since the appeals submitted by the hospital directors were rejected by the Court of Appeal and the High Court, the case is still ongoing. Further details are available here.) and here.

However, it is clear that this legal case has no connection to the incident described in the above article. Such scams often attract public attention by falsely suggesting that well known and trusted public figures are involved in investments, and they typically lure individuals into financial fraud by promising easy and high returns.

How to identify such scams?

Unrealistic financial promises: Claims such as earning Rs. 580,000 to Rs. 880,000 per day through an investment scheme are unrealistic.

Fake news articles: These scams often imitate mainstream media outlets to appear legitimate, using fabricated news formats and fake websites.

External links: The links used are often not official websites. Clicking them may expose users to risks such as leaking passwords and personal information, or being redirected to fraudulent sites.

Urgency tactics: These scams often use phrases like “limited offers” to pressure people into acting quickly without verifying the information.

Also Read – Did Yohani Reveal a High-Return Income Method on ‘Dhanuta Kiyanna’?

Beware of Scam Investments Using Celebrity Endorsements!

Did Prime Minister Harini Reveal a Method that Everyone Can Earn Rs. 750,000 a Month?

Join us to learn more about our fact checking investigations,

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok

Conclusion :

Our investigation shows that the article circulating as a Daily Mirror report, claiming that Ashok Pathirage revealed an investment scheme during the Truth with Chamuditha program, is fake.

Ashok Pathirage has not made any statements regarding such an investment method at any time. Claims that he was brought before court, that the public protested in support of him, or that the alleged investment scheme was declared legal are also false. The article can be identified as a scam, and we advise readers to avoid clicking on suspicious links.