Sri Lanka’s former police chief found dead
Chandana Wickremaratna, the former Inspector General of Police in Sri Lanka, has died at the age of 63. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, which occurred in a suburb of Colombo.
Why it matters
The death of a high-ranking former law enforcement official is a significant event in Sri Lankan public life, prompting official investigations.
Sri Lanka’s former police chief, who served between 2020 and 2023, has allegedly ended his life on Friday (July 17, 2026), according to police.
Chandana Wickremaratna, the former Inspector General of Police, passed away around 7:30 this morning at Athurugiriya, an eastern suburb of the capital Colombo, police spokesman F. T. Wootler said here on Friday (July 17, 2026).
Wickremaratna, 63, was police chief between 2020 and 2023. From 2019, he had acted as the acting police chief.
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