Four military personnel arrested in Lanka rehabilitation centre death

Two Army and two Air Force personnel have been arrested over the suspicious death of an inmate of a drug rehabilitation centre run by the military last week, Sri Lankan Army said on Saturday.

On Wednesday, more than 600 inmates escaped from the heavily guarded drug rehabilitation centre at Kandakadu in the northeastern region of Welioya after the suspicious death of a 34-year-old inmate.

The centre, with nearly 1,000 people run by the military, undergo rehabilitation upon being convicted for drug consumption.

The inmates alleged that the authorities were ill-treating them and claimed their colleague had died due to assault.

As the violence broke out on June 29, police used tear gas to quell the riot at the centre surroundings while a search operation was launched to nab those who had fled the centre.

The Army said over 650 inmates who were arrested after the search were remanded after being produced in court.

Illegal drug use has become a menace in Sri Lanka where officials say some 300,000 people -- around 1.5 per cent of all Sri Lankans -- are addicted to drugs.