Police cab catches fire after suspect lights beedi inside vehicle

2026-03-20 - 04:14

Moragahahena Police have reported an incident in which a police cab had caught fire after a suspect in custody allegedly lit a beedi inside the vehicle. The incident occurred on March 18, and the fire was brought under control by police officers and suspects at the scene. According to reports, officers attached to Moragahahena Police were on a night mobile patrol when they transported a suspect involved in a road accident to the Horana District General Hospital to be produced before the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO). During the same operation, another suspect – who had allegedly entered a pirivena in Kuda Uduwa, Moragahahena, and damaged a shrine by throwing stones, was also arrested and placed in the police vehicle. Subsequently, 02 officers escorted one suspect to the JMO, while the other suspect remained in the vehicle under the supervision of another officer. It is reported that the suspect inside the jeep lit a beedi, which is believed to have ignited a container of petrol kept inside the vehicle, resulting in the fire. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the petrol container had been placed in the cab by a police sergeant, who had removed it from his motorcycle while it was undergoing repairs. Meanwhile, the SSP in charge of the Panadura Division has initiated an internal inquiry into the incident, focusing on alleged lapses, including the unsafe storage of petrol in a police vehicle and permitting a suspect in custody to smoke within the vehicle.