IGP orders probe over Chief Inspector who interrogated abandoned infant’s mother

The Special Investigation Unit of the Sri Lanka Police has commenced a probe against the Chief Inspector of the Bandarawela Police against the Chief Inspector of the Bandarawela Police in connection with his action following the arrest of the mother of the 13-day-old infant who was abandoned in the toilet of an express train at Fort Railway station on Friday (March 10).

The Chief Inspector in question had allegedly breached the IGP’s instructions, made known by way of a circular, with regard to the conduct that officers must follow when dealing with women and children, the office of the Police Media Unit said in a statement issued in this regard.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has instructed to launch an investigation after a video of the relevant questioning was recently seen circulated on local media in which the female suspect was arrested and later interrogated by the Inspector causing her discomfort.

Police said the 25-year-old father who had kept the baby in the toilet was a resident of Meeriyabedda area Koslanda and he was arrested by the area police on Saturday (March 11) while the 26-year-old mother was arrested by Bandarawela police on Friday (March 10).

On Friday evening, the two-week-old baby, who was born on February 25, 2023, was discovered by the passengers of Batticaloa-bound ‘Meenagaya’ express train, which was scheduled to depart the Colombo Fort railway station at 7:00 PM.

The police and the railway authorities were called to inform of the baby before he was admitted to the National Hospital in Colombo.