Police find no evidence child set fire to car in viral Kurunegala video

Sri Lanka Police say no eyewitness or forensic evidence has been found to prove that an eight-year-old child seen near a burning car at a school in Kurunegala set fire to the vehicle.

A video showing the car on fire and the young child walking nearby is being widely shared on social media.

The viral footage was created by recording a CCTV monitor with another camera. The audio heard in the video is from people watching the CCTV footage and discussing their assumptions about the incident. It is not an original audio recording from the scene.

The incident occurred on the premises of a school within the Kurunegala Police Division.

According to a report submitted by Kurunegala Police, a complaint was received stating that a car worth approximately Rs. 14 million caught fire on the premises of a school in Kurunegala town on July 3, 2026. The complaint also alleged that a child aged about eight was responsible for the fire.

Police launched an investigation and identified the child seen walking near the car as an approximately eight-year-old student of the same school.

However, investigators have so far found no eyewitness testimony or forensic evidence linking the child to the fire.

Kurunegala Police have reported the facts to the court and are continuing further investigations.

Steps have also been taken to obtain expert evidence from the Government Analyst’s Department to determine the cause of the fire.