Police have made swift arrests in two separate incidents of violence against women that went viral on social media in the days following the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations.
Ragama: hair forcibly cut at shop
Five suspects were arrested over an incident in the Ragama area in which a woman was assaulted and had her hair forcibly cut at a shop. Police acted after video footage of the attack circulated widely on social media.
The main suspect, a 27-year-old Ragama resident, was arrested along with four others aged 20 to 23 from Rajanganaya, Kadawatha, Ragama, and Trincomalee. The victim was referred to Ragama Teaching Hospital for a medical examination. All five were to be produced before the Welisara Magistrate’s Court on April 18.
Horana: woman attacked over firecracker complaint
In a separate incident in the Moragahahena area near Horana, a 54-year-old man was arrested after a viral video showed him violently assaulting a woman with a stick. The attack occurred after the woman asked her neighbour to stop lighting firecrackers, saying the noise was distressing her pet dogs.
Moragahahena Police launched an investigation after the video spread online. The suspect, a resident of Velmilla, was produced before the Horana Magistrate’s Court and remanded until April 24.
Both cases follow a pattern of social media-driven accountability during the post-Avurudu period, with police responding rapidly to footage shared by the public.
