Wife alleges foul play in Indian husband's death, who was remanded for vandalism

Colombo (News 1st); The Sri Lankan wife of an Indian national who died in hospital while in remand custody claims there is serious doubt over the sudden death of her husband.

45-year-old Dilip Kumar, an Indian national, was arrested by Sri Lanka Police for allegedly vandalizing Buddha statues in Kuliyapitiya and was remanded to the 19th of April. However, he died at the Wariyapola Hospital after suddenly falling ill at the Wariyapola Police. Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upul Deniya speaking to News 1st said the suspect was taken to hospital on Monday (06) night after he suddenly fell ill. Wariyapola District Magistrate Sanjeewa Ramyakumara ordered for the body to be moved to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital for a PCR test and the examination of the Judicial Medical Officer. The Department of Prisons said the deceased was a dual citizen who was living in Sri Lanka for 15 years. This was not the first time an Indian made headlines by being arrested in Sri Lanka. Back in 2018, Marceli Thomas, an Indian national was arrested for possible links to an alleged plot to assassinate then-Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena as well as Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who at the time was not President, but was the country’s Ex-Secretary of Defence. Marceli Thomas was arrested on 26th September 2018. Then-Police Spokesperson SP Attorney-at-Law Ruwan Gunasekera said Thomas arrived in Sri Lanka in January 2017. Several days after his arrest, the Indian High Commission was quoted as saying that after due diligence, they had found that Thomas had a history of mental illness since 2000. Thomas was termed mentally unfit and was put under the care of doctors at a hospital of mental care near Colombo. Thomas claimed innocence and alleged that the police are trying to frame him in the case. Later on, on the 27th of February 2019, the court acquitted the Indian national and since then, nothing was heard from Thomas who appears have to have gone dark. Did he go back to India? Or is he still in Sri Lanka with an alias? However, there are serious concerns now as to why in 2021, an Indian national made his way alone to Kuliyapitiya to allegedly cause damage to Buddhist statues.