OIC caught harassing woman inside bus arrested
The Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the Various Complaints Division of the Dodangoda Police Station who sexually harassed a trainee family health worker
in a passenger bus was caught by the passengers and handed over to the Aluthgama police station day before yesterday (27) evening.
The OIC had molested a young woman (25) resident at Dharga Town, who was a trainee at the Katukurunda National Health Academy. The young woman had been dressed in her Family Health services uniform while she was travelling in the bus.
She had boarded a Sri Lanka Transport Board bus which was travelling towards Aluthgama from the Katukurunda bus stop to go to her home in Dharga Town.
The OIC of the Various Complaints Division who is a Chief Inspector of Police had been dressed in civilian clothes and had been seated behind the seat where the young woman was sitting. The OIC had sexually harassed her by putting his hand from behind the seat.
She was unaware of the fact that this man who engaged in this obscene act, was a police officer. Unable to tolerate it further she had told the bus conductor about it. At this moment, a Police Sergeant deployed at the Aluthgama Police Station, also dressed in civil clothing had been travelling in the same bus. This sergeant had taken steps to catch the offender with the help of passengers on the bus and handed him over to the Aluthgama Police.
The police said that someone had assaulted the sergeant on this occasion. He had been hit in the face.Aluthgama OIC Chief Inspector Priyantha Kumara Attanayake said that investigations have been launched to take into custody this suspect who was connected to the assault. The offender was taken into custody when Assistant Superintendent of Police Duminda Rajapakse heard that a police officer had sexually molested a young woman in a bus and had been caught by the passengers and handed over to the police, and had issued orders to the Aluthgama Police to arrest the suspect police officer. The officer who was arrested had stated that he did not engage in any such obscene act when questioned by the Aluthgama Police. However, the young woman had given a clear statement about being molested.
The OIC of the Various Complaints Division of the Dodangoda Police had been involved in this incident while he returning home after work.
The suspect police officer was produced in court.