Police officers arrested for gate-crashing Colombo Night Races

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

Two police officers of the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) were arrested by the Police and were produced in Courts for trying to gate crash the Colombo Night Races under the influence of alcohol and obstructed the police officers on duty.

When the two suspects were produced before Courts on the charges of having held out threat of injuries to the police officers and obstructed them from carrying out their duties, they were ordered to be released on bail by a Colombo Court yesterday.

Producing two MSD officers before Colombo Fort Magistrate, the Foreshore police alleged that the suspects had been under the influence of alcohol when they were arrested. Police further alleged that the suspects had forcibly attempted to enter the car race runway last Saturday night (15).

The Foreshore police informed Court that when the drunken MSD officers were prevented from entering into the runway, they pelted stones at the policemen which obstructed the police officers who were on duty. Consequently, the MSD officers who behaved in an aggressive manner had been arrested by the Police and were referred to the Judicial Medical Officer for an alcohol test.

The Foreshore police further alleged that the suspects had committed punishable offences come under section 183 and 186 of the Penal Code. When the two suspects Damitha Sandaruwan and Nandana Lasantha were produced before Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne they were ordered to be released on two sureties of Rs. 50,000 each.