The seven personnel of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), including a Sub-Inspector, who were arrested over the death of a Vocational Training Officer in custody, have been remanded until 23 June.
The group was remanded on orders of the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court.
A Sub-Inspector, a Sergeant and five Constables attached to the PNB were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) this afternoon (09 June) over the death of A.G. Samantha Preethi Kumara, a father of two from Hikkaduwa.
Kumara was arrested by the PNB on 10 January near the National Vocational Training Institute in Narahenpita while in possession of 15 grams of heroin.
He had then reportedly acted impulsively while being interrogated, injuring a police officer with a broken glass bottle during the altercation, Police said.
Both the suspect and the injured officer were then admitted to the Colombo National Hospital, where the arrestee was later pronounced dead.
Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, on 12 January, however, revealed that the postmortem examination cited the cause of death as internal bleeding.
The deceased was also reportedly a close associate of underworld figure ‘Podi Lassi’, according to police.
