Three Welikada Prison guards arrested over inmate death - Police

Three prison guards attached to Welikada Prison have been arrested by Sri Lanka Police following the death of an inmate yesterday who was apprehended while attempting to escape, said the Police Spokesman.

A prison inmate serving a sentence at Welikada Prison died yesterday after being hospitalized following an incident linked to an attempted escape.

According to reports, the inmate had fled from the prison premises but was later apprehended by officers in Borella after a pursuit. A scuffle is said to have taken place between the inmate and prison officials during the arrest.

Prison sources state that after being brought back to the facility, another incident occurred shortly thereafter, the cause of which has not yet been determined. The inmate reportedly fell seriously ill following this and was admitted to the prison hospital, where he later died.

The deceased has been identified as a 40-year-old resident of Borella, who had been serving a three-month sentence for a drug-related offence after failing to pay a fine of Rs. 5,000.

Relatives of the deceased have alleged that he was subjected to inhumane assault by prison officers.

Police have recorded statements from approximately 10 individuals, while two special investigation teams from the Borella Police are conducting further inquiries.

Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased were summoned to the Borella Police today (May 4) to provide statements regarding the incident.

The death comes amid ongoing investigations into a similar incident reported on April 27, in which another inmate died following a confrontation with a prison officer at the Magazine Prison.