Teacher run over by truck fleeing police
JAFFNA: A female teacher was run over by a speeding tipper truck that was fleeing police with a load of illegally mined sand at Vadamarachchi, Jaffna on Thursday.
The victim was riding a motorcycle when the incident took place shortly before dusk.
Earlier, the tipper truck was signalled to stop at a police checkpoint but the driver opted to ignore the sign and instead sped off and in the ensuing melee crashed on to the teacher.
The truck was later found abandoned along with the load of sand.
The vehicle has been registered in the Sabaragamuwa Province and a hunt is on to arrest the driver and whoever else was in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The victim is currently undergoing treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
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Sixteen buffaloes die in bizarre Omanthai train collision
OMANTHAI: A herd of 16 buffaloes was mowed down by a speeding express train that was heading for Colombo from Jaffna earlier this week.
The bizarre accident took place at a location in Omanthai when the herd was attempting to cross the rail track towards a nearby wooded area.
The animals died on the spot according to residents of the area.
In a related incident on the same day a man was seriously injured after he was knocked by a speeding train at Thandikulam in Vavuniya.
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Koswatte police station closed in Covid-19 scare
KOSWATTE: The Koswatte Police Station in the Chilaw Division was forced to shut down earlier this week after an officer tested positive for Covid-19 leading to a major scare.
As a precautionary measure some 40 other officers at the same station were placed under quarantine while the functions of the police station were moved to the nearby Koswatte Wijeysunderama Buddhist Temple.
At least 23 policemen of all ranks have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Jaffna Division and the number is expected to rise, regional health officials said.
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Drug dealer held in police 'sting' operation
WENNAPUWA: A 28-year-old man was arrested along with one and a half kilograms of heroin at a safe house in Wennappuwa on late Friday.
The suspect was taken into custody in a sting operation by sleuths from a special Anti-Vice Striking Unit with the Chilaw Police Division. The heroin has a street value of some Rs. 10 million, according to police.
Initial investigations have revealed that the suspect is a close associate of local drug lord identified only as Sameera and currently domiciled overseas.
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Public help sought to trace missing couple
POLICE HQ: The police this week sought the assistance of the public to help trace a couple that has gone missing since April 19.
The man was identified as I. M. S. Kumarasinghe aged 62, 5.4 inches in height and fair in complexion. The man's wife was identified as Carmen de Silva aged 62, five feet in height and fair in complexion.
The couple are residents of Kambikotuwawatte in Wellampitiya. Information regarding their whereabouts could be provided to police on the following telephone numbers. 0112421414-0112436258