Serious allegations have been leveled against officers of the Yakkalamulla Police Station following claims that they physically and mentally abused a fully disabled man during an alleged attempt to frame him for producing and distributing illegal alcohol.
The victim, Eriyana Bandara Indika Prabath, a 36-year-old resident of Mbivitawatta, Magedara in Galle, has been paralyzed from the waist down since a life-changing accident in 2020. Confined to a wheelchair and cared for by his elderly mother and brother, Indika now accuses police officers of conducting an illegal search of his home on April 22.
According to Indika, officers arrived at his residence on the grounds of suspicion that he was producing and distributing illegal alcohol. Despite an extensive search, no evidence was found. However, the same officers allegedly returned later in the day, claiming to have discovered a 45-liter container of illicit alcohol in his yard—something neighbors say was planted by the police themselves.
Indika said the officers demanded that he take responsibility for the container, despite his physical incapacity to even lift it. When he refused, the officers reportedly returned with a three-wheeler and took him to the police station under the pretense of filing a complaint.
Once there, he was allegedly forced to sign a blank statement implicating himself in drug trafficking. Upon resisting, he says he was dragged to a holding cell and thrown to the floor from his wheelchair, sustaining further trauma. Indika remained on the cold concrete floor for hours, unable to move, during which time he involuntarily relieved himself and was left to suffer in silence.
