Youth missing from police custody found

The youth who allegedly disappeared while in police custody in Hambantota has been found from a temple in the Dickwella area in Matara, police said today. 

The Chief Incumbent of the Deega Dickwella Digawaluwaramaya temple, Ven. Ambakaluwawe Buddhika Thera had phoned DIG Ajith Rohana this morning that the missing youth 22-year-old Gayashan Karunaratne, was at his temple. 

DIG Rohana had then asked the monk to come with the youth to Police Headquarters in Colombo. 

Speaking to reporters at Police Headquarters this afternoon, the Thera stated that the youth had phoned him this morning and he had asked him to come to the temple. The Thera had apparently been known to the youth's family he had studied together at university with Gayashan's brother. 

The youth is due to be taken back to Hambantota later this evening and produced in court. 

Gayashan had been arrested by Hambantota police on September 5, along with two others, over their alleged involvement in the theft of a stock of paddy from a storage facility in the Bandagiriya area. 

However, he had subsequently disappeared while in police custody and had been missing for over a week until today. Hambantota police had stated he had escaped police custody. 

Several officers at the Hambantota police station were transferred over the incident while four officers were also suspended today over their alleged involvement. 

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