Sergeant Dies After Being Struck by Buffalo Herd

 Three suspects who attempted to conceal a crime by fabricating an accident – where a police sergeant traveling on the Kebithigollewa - Horowpothana main road was struck by a herd of buffalo being driven along the road – as a collision with a culvert wall, have been remanded.

The unfortunate incident involved M. Manjula Nishantha Rathnayake, a 48-year-old father of three, residing in the Rasnakawewa area of Horowpothana, who was attached to the Kebithigollewa Police.

On the day of the incident, the sergeant was returning home on his motorcycle after duty when he was struck by a herd of buffalo being unsafely driven by the suspects along the main road, leading to the accident.

Immediately after the accident, the sergeant fell unconscious. The three suspects, disregarding humanity, quickly moved the unconscious officer and his motorcycle about ten meters from the accident site to near a culvert. Police investigations revealed that they did this with the intention of making it appear as if the sergeant's motorcycle had collided with the culvert, thereby concealing the true incident and their responsibility. However, a Pirivena teacher traveling on the road witnessed the incident, thwarting the suspects' plan, and they attempted to flee the area.

The Judicial Medical Officer who conducted the post-mortem examination stated that if the sergeant had been hospitalized immediately after falling unconscious from being hit by the buffalo, his life could have been saved. The three suspects, residents of Horowpothana, arrested for attempting to conceal the accident and for committing homicide, were produced before Kebithigollewa Acting Magistrate Ms. Dileeshia Dissanayake and ordered to be remanded until the 18th of this month.