A 43-year-old married woman, hailing from a remote village located in an area known for its tea estates in the Galle district, recently had a very bitter experience. She had gone to the Galle town for some purpose and had got into a bus to return home.

There was an empty seat next next to her and a man who appeared to be the same age as her got into the bus and sat down beside her. He smiled at her but she did not reciprocate. As the bus travelled through a mountainous area the bus swayed causing the man sitted next to her to brush against her often. She thought nothing of it and ignored it.

He then attempted to get into a conversation with her but she still ignored him. She did not notice the fact that he kept looking at the chain she had around her neck. When he was approaching the halt at which he was supposed to get off he attempted to write his phone number on a piece of paper and give it to her.

She rejected it as she was a married woman. However, just when he was about to get off he kept the piece of paper containing his phone number on her lap and disembarked.

Although she did not want to make it look obvious, she slowly put the piece of paper into her handbag when no one was looking. She went home and called him and a clandestine affair by phone began between the two. He awakened feelings within her that she had not felt in a long time. After several days he called her and told her he was at the Karapitiya hospital and asked her if she could meet him there. They met up at the appointed time.

“I brought you a beautiful pendant for your necklace. Give me your necklace and I will fix it for you,” he said to her. She was surprised at how quickly he was moving, but without a second thought and because she was smitten by him she did not hesitate in handing over her precious necklace worth around one lakh to him, a complete stranger.

True to his word he fixed a pendant he had brought with him onto the necklace. However, instead of putting it around her neck he wanted to wear it fist promising to give it back to her later. She even helped him put it on. Thereafter he said that he needed to visit a friend of his who was warded at the Karapitiya Hospital. She accompanied him to the ward. However as visiting hours had not arrived by then they weren't allowed to go in. Undeterred by this he somehow found a way in. “Let's go from this side,” he said pulling her in with him. However, instead of waiting for her he vanished around the corner and she lost sight of him. She tried to call him on his mobile phone but she the phone went onto recording and she got no response.

Suddenly, she came to the realisation of what had happened to her. She realised that she had been duped by a confidence trickster. She had lost her necklace worth of Rs. 100,000. It was her folly. Now she was left with nothing to do but go to the Galle Police Station and lodge a complaint about her misfortune.(D.G.Sugathapala)