Around 258 inmates who fled from the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre following a clash on Tuesday night had surrendered to the Polonnaruwa Police while around another 250 had gone back to the rehabilitation centre, said the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. Dharshana Hettiarachchi.
Over 500 inmates undergoing rehabilitation for drug addiction had escaped from the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Kandakadu, Welikanda, during a riot at the centre on Tuesday night, according to the police.
Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Dharshana Hettiarachchi told the Daily News that a clash had broken out after a tense situation had arisen over the death of one person at the Kandakadu Centre.
He said that one of the inmates had drugs in his possession and he had been questioned by the officer in charge on how he had obtained the drugs. He was one of the new batch of inmates who had arrived at the centre for rehabilitation. However, the inmate had an argument with the officers at the centre over the incident.
Later the inmate involved in the incident was found dead and the other inmates had started rioting and damaging the buildings at the facility and many of these inmates had escaped during the commotion. However, the JMO had arrived at the facility yesterday afternoon and examined the body of the dead inmate. After he left the premises, the inmates had again agitated when the authorities were trying to remove the body from the premises and had attempted to carry the body and protest on the street. But, the army and police personnel were able to control the situation.
The deceased inmate is reported to be a 36-year-old resident of Mutwal.
The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation noted that it is not an easy task controlling and managing these inmates who are addicted to drugs. He said that when they are brought to the centre through court orders, it takes a considerable period of time for these inmates to recover from their addiction and sometimes try to inflict injury upon themselves and even attack the other inmates and staff members and medical staff during this initial period.
The police Media Unit said the police had received information regarding the death of an inmate at the Kandakadu rehabilitation center yesterday (29th). The police had been sent to the center to investigate the death of the inmate but the inmates had broken through the safety fences and around 500 inmates had escaped, SSP Thalduwa said.
He said that the police had also been sent to assist the army in apprehending the suspects who had fled. The police are also conducting investigations into the death of the inmate.
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