The officer in charge of the Pettah police station has been transferred to the Batticaloa police division following the apparent suicide of a youth in police custody this week. The transfer was recommended by the committee appointed to investigate the incident by the Inspector General of Police, Pujith Jayasundara following an investigation into the incident. The transfer was also approved by the National Police Commission and the Elections Commission.
According to the police, the 17-year-old detainee, a resident of Haputale had been arrested for the possession of cannabis on Wednesday in the Bastian Mawatha area. He was found hanging in his detention cell the next morning. The investigation committee is said to have inspected the detention cell and recorded statements from officers of the Pettah police on Friday.