A businessman has been arrested following the circulation of a viral video showing a domestic worker being forcibly stripped and humiliated, according to the Child and Women Abuse Prevention and Investigation Division. With this arrest, three suspects, including the main accused, are now in police custody as investigations continue.
Police said the primary suspect, a 43-year-old businessman from Fairfield Watta, Borella, had evaded arrest for several days by moving between different hotels. He was eventually arrested yesterday at a hotel in Hikkaduwa.
Two other suspects, aged 44 and 55, both residents of Eheliyagoda, were also taken into custody on suspicion of assisting the main suspect and attempting to conceal evidence related to the incident.
Investigations revealed that the victim had been employed as a domestic worker at the suspect’s residence. Police stated that she was allegedly forced to disrobe in the presence of others, and the act was recorded on a mobile phone before being shared through a WhatsApp group.
Following a complaint, police launched an investigation under the direction of the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Child and Women Abuse Prevention and Investigation Division and were able to identify the victim. Earlier, police had obtained a travel ban from the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court to prevent the main suspect from leaving the country.
The suspects are due to be produced before court, while further investigations are under way to determine whether other individuals were involved in the incident.
