Police suspect foul play in discovery of youth’s body

Authorities suspect that a 19-year-old youth found floating in the Kelani River near Mattakkuliya was forcibly drowned.

The victim, a resident of Bloemendhal, contacted his wife last night (22) to inform her he was returning home after work.

When he failed to arrive by midnight, his family alerted the police.

Following a search, his body was discovered this morning.

Investigators believe a group of individuals may have abducted the youth before drowning him.

In a separate development, police located a 13-year-old boy at Galle Face Green today after he went missing from his home in Pahalaimbulgoda, Gampaha.

His parents had filed a missing person report yesterday.

The child informed officers that he fled home out of fear after his mother suggested his father intended to reprimand him.