June 11, LNW (Colombo): A 51-year-old bus conductor attached to a private bus operating between Tangalle and Makumbura has died after a suspected narcotics packet reportedly burst inside his stomach, police said.
The victim, a resident of Modarawana, had suddenly fallen ill while attending a funeral in Tangalle. He later collapsed at the Tangalle bus stand and was rushed to the Tangalle Base Hospital by a Suwa Seriya ambulance.
Police said he died a few hours after being admitted to hospital. A post-mortem examination revealed two packets of suspected crystal methamphetamine (“Ice”) inside his stomach, weighing around 20 grams in total.
Investigators believe the rupture of one of the packets may have caused his death. Further investigations are underway.