A 17-year-old detainee is said to have committed suicide at the Pettah Police Station today, by hanging himself inside the cell.
According to the Police Media Spokesman’s office the teenager was arrested for possession of cannabis on Wednesday at Bastian Mawatha in Pettah.
When contacted by the Daily News, Police Media Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said it could not be confirmed if the teenager had committed suicide, adding that an investigation is under way to determine the cause of the death.
The suspect is a resident of Haputale. He had used the banyan he was wearing, to hang himself inside the cell, the Police said.
The body of the victim was taken to the Colombo National Hospital for postmortem examinations.
Focusing his attention to the incident, the IGP has appointed a DIG to conduct investigations regarding this incident.
According to the Police Media unit, the IG has ordered that strict disciplinary action should be taken against the Police officers who were on duty at the time the incident occurred.