A 38-year-old employee of an Ayurveda massage centre in Unawatuna has been arrested by the Unawatuna Tourist Police after an Australian woman tourist filed a complaint alleging she was sexually assaulted during a treatment session, police said on Tuesday (12).
The suspect, who works at a massage centre in the Unawatuna area of the Galle district, was taken into custody following the complaint. Police said the Australian visitor approached the Tourist Police division after the alleged assault occurred during a scheduled treatment at the establishment. The suspect is being held pending further investigation.
Unawatuna is one of Sri Lanka’s most visited coastal destinations, located on the south coast near Galle, and the Tourist Police unit operates specifically to handle complaints involving visitors to the area.
The arrest comes as Sri Lanka continues to record strong tourist arrivals, with 46,000 visitors counted in May to date, led by Indian, Chinese and Australian nationals. Australia is among the top five source markets for the month, accounting for 2,441 of the May arrivals so far.
