A senior police officer has been arrested by Meegoda Police for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and fleeing the scene after knocking down two young women in two separate crashes, police said.
The suspect is a Chief Inspector serving as Officer-in-Charge of a Special Investigation Unit in the Homagama Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Division.
According to Meegoda Police, the two collisions took place late on Saturday, July 25. The first occurred at 11.30pm near the Meegoda filling station on High-Level Road, and the second at 11.57pm near the 20th Mile Post in Wataraka.
Police said the officer allegedly attempted to leave the area in his car after the collisions but was subsequently apprehended by Meegoda Police officers. A breathalyser test carried out following the arrest confirmed he had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incidents, police said.
He was due to be produced before the Homagama Magistrate’s Court for further legal proceedings.
The case adds to a series of recent incidents involving serving police officers facing criminal or disciplinary action. A police sub-inspector was suspended over an incident in Wathupitiwala last week, while separate proceedings continue against officers in unrelated matters.
Sri Lanka has been tightening enforcement on drink-driving and road safety more broadly in recent months, including the introduction of mandatory roadworthiness checks for buses following a series of fatal crashes. Police statistics have repeatedly identified alcohol as a leading contributory factor in night-time road deaths.
Neither the officer’s name nor the condition of the two women injured in the crashes has been officially disclosed.
