3 May 2022 12:00 am Views - 260
By Dinesh Upenda
A Defender Jeep that knocked down to death a motorcyclist at Kanadulla in Kuliyapitiya town was set on fire by the crowd that gathered at the scene.
The motorcyclist died on the spot while the driver and others on board the jeep had fled the scene to escape being assaulted by the crowd. The motorcyclist Sudarshana Banneheka (39) who died in the incident was a resident of the area. Investigations revealed that he was riding on motorcycle from the direction of Udubaddawa when the jeep from the opposite direction collided head-on with the motorcycle.
Police attempted to prevent the crowd from causing damage to the jeep. However, as a police officer boarded the jeep and started off, an individual had set fire to the back of the vehicle. The officer had then jumped off the burning vehicle and escaped unhurt. The jeep was gutted and the fire obstructed traffic on the road for hours.
The driver and three others who travelled in the jeep were taken into custody by Kuliyapitiya police pending further investigations.