News
Rape of Aussie student: Police probe love affair with suspect
View(s):Police are conducting further investigations into the alleged rape of a 20-year-old Australian student in Ambalangoda following reports that the suspect had a brief love affair with her.
The suspect, an 18 year-old youth from Hirewatta in Ambalangoda, surrendered to police on Friday after evading arrest for four days. He was produced in court and remanded till February 10.The victim, a university student, was in Sri Lanka with eight others as volunteers at a turtle conservation centre in Ambalangoda. The group has been working at the Centre for the past nine weeks on a project.
On January 23, the group and six other local men went on a boat trip to Gedawanagala, a rocky islet off the coast of Ambalangoda.
In her statement, the victim said the rape occurred in the islet, when she was separated from her friends.
She was examined by the Judicial Medical officer.
Police spokesperson Ajith Rohana said investigations had revealed that the two of them had a brief love affair. Besides, the victim did not make the complaint on the same day that the alleged incident took place, he said.
The SSP said the victim had gone missing for three hours before she was reunited with her friends who were out searching for her.
“She made the complaint after talking to her friends and it was a day after the alleged incident,” SSP Rohana claimed.