One Youth Dies After Suspected Drug Injection, Two Others Hospitalized

One of three youths who allegedly ingested a chemical substance suspected to be a drug at the Alapalawala playground, within the Daulagala Police Division, died on the afternoon of the day before yesterday (20). The deceased has been identified as 24-year-old Tharindu Lakshan Kumara, who was in critical condition. Preliminary police investigations have revealed that he died while being transported to the Mampitiya Divisional Hospital.

The post-mortem examination of the deceased youth was conducted yesterday (21) at the Judicial Medical Office of the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital by Judicial Medical Officer Mr. Palitha Bandara Subasinghe. An open verdict was delivered regarding the death, and body parts have been sent to the Government Analyst for a detailed report.

Residents staged a strong protest near the Peradeniya Hospital mortuary yesterday (21) morning, expressing their dissatisfaction that the police had not yet recorded statements from the other two youths who had ingested the chemical substance suspected to be a drug along with the deceased. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old school student has given a statement to the police claiming to have seen the deceased injecting a substance with two other youths.

Residents have leveled serious allegations that a doctor in the Daulagala area is selling drug pills to youths, and that the police are taking no action regarding this.

Meanwhile, police investigations have revealed that after injecting the suspicious chemical substance, the deceased youth experienced severe breathing difficulties, and at that moment, one of the other two youths left the scene.