Sigiriya, Sri Lanka.
A novice Buddhist monk was taken into custody in connection with an alleged knife attack on a police constable in Sri Lanka’s southern, town of Deniyaya some 200 kilometres from the commercial capital of Colombo, police said on Thursday.
The alleged incident took place in a remote area known as Pallegama in the interior of Deniyaya on early Thursday, according to police.
They said that the alleged incident had taken place following an argument where the victim is suspected to be maintaining a clandestine affair with the suspect’s elder sister.
Initial investigations have revealed that the irate 17-year-old monk had lured the constable to a secluded area close to an elders’ home before allegedly attacking him with a sharp instrument.
The 37-year-old victim described as a married man sustained life-threatening injuries in the attack and was rushed to a State-owned hospital for treatment, police said.
Investigators have also found out that the suspect monk had a telephone conversation with the victim earlier in the day.
Both the mobile phone and the weapon used in the alleged attack have also been recovered, police said.
The constable is attached to the local police station at Deniyaya.
