A social media post circulating with the official design and layout of the Maubima newspaper, claiming that Deputy Minister Sunil Wattagala made controversial statements regarding the Rajapaksas and activist Darshana Handungoda, has been confirmed as entirely fake. The fabricated report alleged that during an interview with the Sunday edition of Maubima on January 11, the Deputy Minister claimed the Rajapaksas were responsible for the murder of the popular social media activist.

Following an investigation by Factseeker, it was determined that no such interview or report was ever published in any edition of the Maubima newspaper. To further verify the authenticity of the claim, Factseeker contacted the Editor-in-Chief of Maubima, Chaminda Wariyagoda, who officially confirmed that his newspaper did not conduct such an interview nor did it publish the news story in question.

The investigation reveals that the viral image was created by maliciously manipulating the official page layout of the Maubima newspaper to mislead the public. Consequently, Factseeker confirms that the news shared on social media regarding Deputy Minister Sunil Wattagala’s alleged statement is a fabrication and did not originate from any credible news source.