A 17-year-old youth has been killed and two other individuals arrested after Kayts Police opened fire at a vehicle that failed to comply with orders to stop for inspection in the Allapiddy area of Jaffna, police said.

According to police, officers had signaled a suspicious van to stop near the Allapiddy Junction in the Kayts Police Division earlier this morning (10). However, the van had ignored the orders and continued towards Mandativu.

The Kayts Officer-in-Charge (OIC), who was travelling in a police jeep towards Allapiddy after inspecting the Mandativu roadblock, was informed of the incident. The police jeep then had attempted to intercept the van.

As the vehicle continued to evade police, officers initially had opened fire into the air in an attempt to stop it. When the van failed to halt, police had fired several shots at the vehicle.

The driver of the van sustained injuries in the shooting and was admitted to the Jaffna Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. 

The deceased has been identified as a 17-year-old resident of Wadukotte, police said.

Police further stated that the rear seats of the van had been removed. 

Two other individuals who were travelling in the van have been arrested by the Kayts Police.

Further investigations into the incident are being carried out by the Kayts Police in collaboration with the Jaffna Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau.