Bambalapitiya incident:

Police suspect dies in remand prison

Rasika Somarathna

A Police constable, allegedly involved in the forced drowning of a mentally unstable man in the seas off Bambalapitiya on October 27, 2009, died at the Welikada Remand Prison Hospital after a brief illness yesterday morning.

Prisons Media Spokesman Kenneth Fernando said one of the four suspects, Policeman Dimuthu Somnas charged with the alleged drowning incident, had died on admission to the Prisons hospital following an apparent illness. The cause of death of the Policeman was not known at the time of going to the press with Fernando stating that this would be revealed subsequent to a post mortem.

The Policeman along with four others were initially remanded on October 31, 2009 charged as suspects of the incident.

B. Sivakumar, 26, from Ratmalana who according to relatives had been suffering from a mental illness from time to time died off the Bambalapitiya seas in late October.