Police have arrested a man and a woman accused of abandoning a four‑year‑old girl in Wattegama after bringing her there in a three‑wheeler. 

According to the Police, the arrests were made by the Hali Ela Police this morning (14).

Investigations revealed that the arrested woman is the child’s mother, while the man has been identified as her illicit partner.

The suspect couple is to be handed over to the Wattegama Police Station for further investigations into the incident. (Newswire)

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Wattegama Police have rescued a girl, believed to be around four years old, who had been inhumanely assaulted and left abandoned in a deserted area along the Yatirawana road on Thursday (13).

The discovery was made following a tip received through the police emergency hotline. A team from the Wattegama Police rushed to the scene and took the child into custody.

Investigators suspect that the girl was left at the location around 7 am after being transported there in a three‑wheeler. CCTV footage is being examined to trace the vehicle believed to have brought her.

Police said the child is unable to provide any information about her family or place of residence. She has since been admitted to the Kandy National Hospital for medical care.

Further investigations into the incident are being carried out by the Wattegama Police. (Newswire)

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A four‑year‑old girl from Dickwella has died of dengue hemorrhagic fever while receiving treatment at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Galle National Hospital.

The child was first admitted to Dickwella District Hospital with severe fever, later transferred to Matara General Hospital, and subsequently moved to Galle National Hospital for intensive care. 

Despite treatment, she succumbed to complications on Monday (20), with the sudden death inquiry and post‑mortem examination confirming dengue hemorrhagic fever. 

The death comes as Sri Lanka has recorded 78,125 dengue cases so far in 2026, with 56 fatalities and a case fatality rate of 0.07%.

July alone has seen 22,749 infections, following 21,355 in June, underscoring sustained high transmission.

The Western Province remains the hardest hit, accounting for 41,236 cases (52.78%), led by Gampaha and Colombo. 

The Southern Province has reported 11,950 cases, with Matara and Galle among the highest‑burden districts.

Authorities have identified 162 high‑risk MOH areas in Week 28, with an average of 2,652 new cases reported daily.

Public health officials continue to urge vigilance, noting that the seasonal peak has intensified earlier than expected, placing pressure on hospitals across the island. (Newswire)

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A 13-year-old child has been reported dead after being knocked down by a lorry in the Udawalawa area on Sunday.

According to the Police, the lorry travelling towards Thanamalwila had hit the child who was walking by the side of the road. 

The child who had sustained serious injuries in the accident had been rushed to the Udawalawa Hospital, but succumbed to injuries.

The deceased has been identified as a resident of Udawalawa. 

The driver of the lorry has been taken into Police custody, while the Udawalawa Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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The Muslim community in Welimada staged a protest yesterday, alleging that the death of a 12-year-old child in the area was suspicious. 

The boy was found dead inside a washroom of the Madrasa where he was undergoing education. He was said to have died by suicide at the time.

Staging a protest in front of the Welimada mosque yesterday, the area residents called for a comprehensive investigation into the death.

“The child was found dead on November 03rd. We still do not know what happened to the child. It is a mystery. How can such a small child die by suicide?” a protester said, while speaking to the media. (Newswire)

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An 11-year-old boy from Katukurunda has tragically died after being hit by a lorry while riding a bicycle near the Wettumakada junction on the Galle -Colombo main road.

The incident occurred last night (07) when a lorry travelling from Galle towards Colombo collided with the child, who was cycling along the road.

The boy, who sustained critical injuries, was rushed to the Kalutara Nagoda Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The driver of the lorry has been taken into custody. The Kalutara South Police are conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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Seven individuals, including the assistant principal of the preschool attended by the child, have been arrested by the Mirihana Police in connection with the death of a five-year-old boy who drowned in a hotel swimming pool in the Nugegoda area.

The tragic incident was reported on the morning of 08th October at a hotel located on Stanley Mawatha in Mirihana.

At the time, a group of children, including the victim, were participating in swimming activities at the hotel under the supervision of teachers and a trainer when the child drowned.

Investigations revealed that the child had died upon admission to the Kalubowila Hospital.

The postmortem examination was conducted yesterday (9), during which the judicial medical officer at Kalubowila Hospital issued an open verdict.

Accordingly, the Mirihana Police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the incident: the assistant principal of the preschool, the sports coordinator, two teachers responsible for the children, a preschool attendant, and two swimming instructors. (Newswire)

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A father of one has been sentenced to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a 03-year-old child. 

It is reported that the 46-year-old man was sentenced after being found guilty of having sexually molested the child, who was his relative. 

The Homagama Magistrate’s Court had issued the verdict and had also imposed a fine on the suspect. 

The man is convicted of having lured the child under the pretext of riding a bicycle, sexually molesting the child near a well, and threatening to murder her if she disclosed the incident to her parents. (Newswire)

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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says child overweight has tripled in 20 years in Sri Lanka, and that children deserve healthy food environments, not ones that harm their health.

“Sri Lanka is among the group of countries where overweight has at least tripled in the last two decades,” UNICEF said, issuing its latest report. 

Per the report, globally, one in twenty children under 5 years of age (5 per cent) and one in five children and adolescents aged 5–19 years (20 per cent) are living with overweight. 

The 2025 Child Nutrition Report, ‘Feeding Profit: How food environments are failing children’, reveals how unhealthy food environments are contributing to the worldwide surge in overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.

Drawing from recent examples of countries that have made extraordinary progress, the report presents eight recommendations to transform children’s food environments:

• Implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions to protect and promote breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding.
• Implement comprehensive, mandatory measures to transform food environments (school food environments, food marketing restrictions, food labelling, taxes on unhealthy foods and beverages and food reformulation).
• Implement comprehensive policies to improve the availability and affordability of locally produced nutritious foods for children and adolescents.
• Establish robust safeguards to protect public policy processes from interference by the ultra-processed food industry.
• Implement social and behaviour change initiatives that empower families and communities to claim their right to a healthy food environment.
• Strengthen social protection programs to address income poverty and increase children’s access to nutritious and healthy diets.
• Engage young people in public policymaking on food justice by fostering youth-led advocacy.
• Strengthen global and national data and surveillance systems to monitor food environments, diets, and overweight among children and adolescents. 

The full UNICEF report: 

https://www.unicef.org/media/174091/file/CNR%202025%20-%20Feeding%20Profit%20-%20Final%20Report%20-%20English%20-%20FINAL.pdf.pdf (Newswire)

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A two-year-old girl has been found alive in a suitcase stored in a bus luggage compartment in New Zealand.

The bus driver noticed movement inside the bag during a planned stop in Kaiwaka – 60 miles north of Auckland – on Sunday after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment.

When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the girl.

The two-year-old was said to be “very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed”, according to Detective Chief Simon Harrison.

The toddler was taken to hospital, where she remained on Sunday to undergo an extensive medical assessment.

Detectives did not say how long the girl was in the suitcase, or which cities the bus was travelling between.

A 27-year-old woman, who has not been named, was arrested and charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child. DCI Harrison said further charges are not being ruled out.

The woman is due to appear in court on Monday, and children’s services have also been notified.

Entrada Travel Group, which operates New Zealand’s national bus line, InterCity, told Sky News’ US partner network NBC that the incident involved one of its buses.

“Police were called to respond and are investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident, and the service resumed,” the group said in its statement.

InterCity states on its website that children up to two years old can travel for free on an adult’s lap. Children aged three and older require a child ticket and need to travel with a guardian.

DCI Harrison praised the InterCity bus driver, “who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome”. (Sky News)

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The Cabinet approved amendments to existing laws enabling a complete ban on several forms of child labour, previously allowed under certain circumstances, come into effect from today, 01 July 2025.

The updated regulations to safeguard children from exploitation are as follows;

• Children under the age of 16 are strictly prohibited from engaging in begging or commercial activities.
• Adolescents aged 16 to 18 are barred from hazardous occupations, including domestic service that may expose them to danger or abuse.

The new measures follow growing concerns about children who, due to various hardships, become vulnerable to labour exploitation.

Authorities noted that some children, especially those lacking parental care, end up begging in public areas and selling goods under the control of unrelated adults, raising fears of child trafficking and abuse.

Officials said that these legal changes will be vigorously enforced, while a nationwide awareness campaign is set to launch, aiming to educate the public about the dangers of child labour and the importance of protecting children’s rights. (Newswire)

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Police have issued a statement addressing media reports that a minor was arrested and held overnight at the Welioya Police Station.

According to the statement, officers visited the home of a woman in Helabawewa, Welioya, who was wanted on an arrest warrant. After presenting the warrant and explaining the charges, officers requested the woman to prepare for transport to the Police station.

However, Police said the woman fled through the back door into a wooded area, leaving her child with the officers and asking them to care for the child.

Police pursued the woman but were unable to locate her due to a power outage around 7:30 p.m.

The child, distressed by the situation, had begun crying. As the child’s father is reportedly in prison and no relatives or neighbours were available to take custody, officers brought the child to the station under the care of a Woman Police officer, where the child had been fed and comforted.

The child’s mother later arrived at the station with her mother-in-law and the local temple’s priest. She was arrested at approximately 8:45 p.m.

Police said the child could have been taken home by the mother-in-law, but the woman chose to remain at the station.

Police stressed that the child was not arrested and had been taken to the station solely for safety reasons. (Newswire)

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The tragic death of five-year-old Sawera has triggered grief and anger in Karachi, prompting a protest by her family and residents of the area.

Her body was discovered in a stream in the Liaquatabad B-1 area on Sunday, a day after she went missing from her home in Sikandar Goth, which falls under the jurisdiction of Sachal Police Station. 

According to the family, they were informed by Liaquatabad Police that the child’s body had been found.

Speaking to the media, the girl’s maternal uncle said that Sawera had gone missing around 11am and that when the body was recovered, it was unrecognisable.

He added that it was identified by her sister, who recognised her by her hair. The uncle also said the family had seen CCTV footage showing a woman attempting to take the girl away.

In response to the tragedy, the family, joined by local residents, staged a protest on Gulzar Hijri Road, placing the child’s body on the road and demanding the arrest of those responsible.

The protest disrupted traffic in the area for several hours before it was called off following assurances from the police that action would be taken. The girl’s uncle also revealed that a missing person report had been filed at the Sachal Police Station soon after Sawera disappeared.

He claimed that her hands and feet were tied when the body was recovered, adding to the family’s suspicions of foul play.

Police, however, said that no relevant CCTV footage from the area had been recovered so far.

A post-mortem examination has been conducted, and according to initial reports, there is no evidence of sexual assault. The investigation is ongoing.

The funeral prayer for Sawera was held at a mosque in Post Office Society. (The News)

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Video footage has emerged of a child driving a vehicle on the Southern Expressway.

The child is seen steering the car, seated on the driver’s lap, with video footage of the incident being captured by a fellow motorist.

The exact location of the incident is unknown. (Newswire/ Video- Accident1st)

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A 06-year-old child was reported dead in an accident involving a three-wheeler and a van in the Kurundugaha town in Elpitiya early this morning.

The Police said a three-wheeler travelling from Ambalangoda to Elpitiya had collided head-on with a van travelling in the opposite direction.

The three-wheeler driver, a male passenger, two female passengers, and three female children who had been travelling in the three-wheeler had been injured in the accident.

The group had been admitted to the Elpitiya Hospital, during which one female child had succumbed to injuries, while the others were continuing to be treated in the hospital. 

The deceased 06-year-old girl is a resident of Pitigala. 

The driver of the van has been arrested in connection with the accident. The Elpitiya Police is conducting investigations. (Newswire)

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A 12-year-old girl has sustained serious injuries after jumping off the second floor of a house in Keselwatta in Colombo, in a bid to escape after being forcefully locked up by a resident of the house.

According to the Police, the child, who is a resident of Colombo 12, has been admitted to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo, following the incident on Sunday (13 Apr).

Police investigations reveal the child, along with two other children, had visited a shop on Peer Saibo Street in Keselwatta and, on the way, had knocked on the gate of a two-story house. 

A resident of the house who had gotten angry over the incident is reported to have forcefully carried the child and locked her up in a room on the second floor of the house.

The Police said the child, frightened over the incident, had jumped out of an open window in the room, sustaining serious injuries.

The main suspect involved in the incident has fled the area following the incident. The Police have arrested a 59-year-old resident of Colombo 12 who had aided the suspect. 

The Keselwatta Police is conducting investigations into the incident. (Newswire)

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A 06-year-old boy has died in a petrol bomb attack targeting a house in Kalutara South. 

According to reports, unidentified men on a motorcycle had thrown a petrol bomb into the house on Saturday night (29 Mar). 

A 28-year-old woman and a 06-year-old child who were inside the house at the time had sustained injuries in the attack.

The child had succumbed to injuries yesterday while receiving treatment in the hospital. (Newswire)

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A toddler has died after accidentally consuming adult medication in the Mankulam area in Jaffna. 

The Police said the 1 ½-year-old boy had been hospitalised at the Kilinochchi Hospital and had died while receiving treatment on Tuesday (04 Mar).

Investigations have revealed that the child had consumed medication that had been bought to treat his grandmother’s illness.

The Mankulam Police is conducting investigations. (Newswire)

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An 11-year-old boy was reported dead after being run over by a tractor transporting a rice harvester machine in the Uduvil area in Chunnakam, Jaffna yesterday.

The Police said the child who had sustained serious injuries in the incident had died after being admitted to the Jaffna Hospital.

Investigations reveal that the child had attempted to climb onto the rice harvester machine and had fallen over, and was then run over by the back wheel of the tractor driven by his father.

The Chunnakam Police is conducting investigations into the accident. (Newswire)

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A 14-year-old boy has died after being electrocuted while cutting a tree in the Hurigaswewa area last morning.

The child had been cutting a branch of a jackfruit tree in a land close to his house when the branch had fallen onto a high-voltage cable.

According to the Police, the child who had been electrocuted had fallen off the tree, resulting in his death. 

A 62-year-old woman living in a house nearby, who had used the child to cut the tree, has been arrested over the death.

The Hurigaswewa Police is conducting investigations into the incident. (Newswire)

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