Police say three more suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal New Year’s Eve hit-and-run in Ambalantota, in which a police constable was killed at a roadblock.
The officer was killed early Wednesday after being struck by a car whose driver failed to stop for inspection, police said.
The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. near the Walawa River bridge in Ambalantota, where police had deployed officers as part of islandwide operations to curb drunk driving during new year celebrations.
Police Constable M. Sarath Kumara, attached to the Ambalantota Police Station, was conducting vehicle inspections when he signalled a suspicious car to stop using a torch.
Instead of slowing down, the vehicle struck the officer and fled the scene, police said.
The injured constable was rushed to Hambantota General Hospital in a 1990 emergency ambulance, but he died from severe head injuries at about 4:05 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025.
A Civil Defence Force officer, Saman Banda, who was assisting police at the checkpoint, was also hit by the same vehicle and sustained injuries. He is currently receiving treatment at Hambantota General Hospital.
Police had later tracked the suspect vehicle and found it hidden at a house in the Rideegama area of Ambalantota.
The driver, identified as a 21-year-old man, was arrested the same day. Three other suspects, including a woman accused of helping the driver evade arrest, were also taken into custody.
After being produced before court, the suspect driver was remanded until Jan. 8, 2026.
Constable Sarath Kumara had joined the Sri Lanka Police in 2009 after training at the Police Training College.
A father of two, he was a permanent resident of the Sooriyawewa area and had previously served at police stations in Hambantota, Mattala, Sooriyawewa and the China Harbour area.
He had been transferred to the Ambalantota Police Station just one day before the fatal incident. (Newswire)