Distorted News Story Claiming a Mother Was Arrested for Stealing Two Chocolate Bars.

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Social media platforms often spread false information without properly investigating the facts. Recently, a social media post was circulated stating that a mother was imprisoned with her two-month-old baby for stealing two chocolate bars. We conducted a fact-check to verify the accuracy of this post.

Social Media Posts :

A post was circulating on social media stating, “A Mother and a 2 1/2-month-old baby were remanded for stealing two chocolates.” (Translated from Sinhala)

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You can refer to the web article published regarding this here. 

Many more social media posts were also shared regarding this.

Some social media users have also posted sensitive comments regarding this incident.

We conducted a fact check to verify the credibility of these claims.

Fact Check :

Some major media outlets have also reported on this matter. Below is the English translation of one such article.

“A mother and her 2 1/2-month-old child have been remanded in custody for stealing two chocolates. 

A 26-year-old woman and a 2 1/2-month-old child were arrested by the Gandara Police Station today and produced before the Matara Chief Magistrate’s Court and remanded in custody. Attorney Sameera Meekandawatte has represented a 26-year-old woman and a 2 ½ month old child, and has presented lengthy arguments, stating that if this woman is imprisoned, it will be a great injustice to this small child as well. However, the Chief Magistrate Chathura Dissanayake has refused to grant bail.”

You can refer to those reports here and here.

Gandara Police OIC

We first contacted the Gandara Police OIC over the phone to investigate this matter. He stated that the social media posts had distorted the truth.

The OIC clarified that this woman is also accused of robbing chocolates worth approximately eleven thousand (11,000) rupees and of stealing approximately eighteen thousand (18,000) rupees from a beauty salon affiliated with the shop selling imported chocolates and gifts. 

In addition, the suspect in question has previously been issued court warrants by the Agunukolapelessa and Matara areas. He added that the suspect has been remanded in custody until the 7th on all those charges.

However, when we inquired about the child, the OIC further stated that since it is impossible to separate a two-month-old child from its mother, the child is in prison with the mother. 

Gandara Regional Journalists 

When we inquired about this, journalists in the area confirmed that social media and mainstream media outlets have reported on this information misleadingly without thoroughly investigating it. 

They pointed out that this woman has been involved with drugs, and that the chocolates worth about Rs. 11,000 that were for sale in a part of the salon, as well as Rs. 18,000 in the owner’s wallet, had been robbed. Furthermore, they also stated previously she had been issued a warrant for drug charges by the Matara Court.

The journalists also noted that the Matara Magistrate does not usually grant bail to their clients, even for minor charges, and because of this, some lawyers harbour a grudge against the judge, and it appears that, as a result, the lawyers have deliberately distorted this incident and have reported it to the media. 

Information obtained by the owner of the beauty salon.

We contacted the aggrieved party in the above incident, the owner of the beauty salon in Devinuwara, where the theft had taken place and inquired about the incident.

Below is her account of the incident that occurred at the salon.

The alleged woman had come to her salon with her baby on September 22nd and had stated that she needed to get her hair done. However, as the owner of the salon was busy that day, she told her to come back another day. 

The suspect in question has called the salon several times over the forthcoming days to book an appointment and has stated that one day she wants to be dressed as a bride because she couldn’t afford a wedding, and the job would be around one and a half to two hundred thousand rupees.

The next day, she suspected the lady had arrived at the salon with a man she claimed to be her husband. Since she had wanted to dress up as a bride, she had tried on the bridal outfits available at the salon.

The owner of the beauty salon also sells party decoration items and imported chocolates, which are available for purchase in a designated area of the salon. The suspect mentioned that she wanted to surprise her husband and had prepared a chocolate basket, which was delivered to the person outside the salon at the time by the salon’s owner.

The salon owner has called her husband to the salon to help her, as the suspected woman has requested a bouquet of fresh flowers to decorate herself as a bride. However, while she has been discussing details with her husband, the alleged woman has left the salon.

Upon noticing this, she called the suspect, to whom she replied that she had gone to withdraw money from the bank. However, since she had been talking to her over the phone for several days and found her to be friendly, she hadn’t initially suspected her. However, later on, the alleged lady had not responded to any calls from the salon owner.

Upon further investigation, the salon owner discovered that her wallet was also missing. Since the suspect had also not paid for the chocolate basket, she filed a complaint with the police.

She further stated that she was called to the police and identified the woman during an identification parade, and that the suspect had been taken into custody. However, the man has not yet been arrested, and investigations are underway to find him.

The salon owner also noted that she initially wanted to forget about this matter because the suspect had a small child. However, she later sought legal help, as this suspicious woman could have been involved in numerous laundering schemes in this manner.

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