KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka — A youth hospitalized after a deadly motorcycle crash that killed a 32-year-old mother in Sri Lanka's Northern Province has admitted to police that he was riding the motorcycle involved in the collision, after initially claiming he had only been traveling as a pillion passenger, police sources told Jaffna Monitor on Tuesday.
The crash, which occurred Monday on the Uruthirapuram-Karadipokku road in Kilinochchi district, killed Kagitha Shanmugam, who was on her way to pick up her seven-year-old daughter from school when a speeding motorcycle allegedly performing dangerous stunts struck her head-on.
Police sources said the injured youth, who remains under treatment at Kilinochchi District General Hospital, changed his statement nearly 24 hours after the crash. Investigators had earlier faced confusion over who had been operating the motorcycle. He is also the registered owner of the motorcycle involved in the crash.
A forensic medical examination confirmed that the youth had consumed narcotic substances, police sources said. Authorities did not specify which substances were detected.
Witnesses previously told police that a group of riders had been traveling at extremely high speeds along the road, allegedly performing stunts and dangerous maneuvers before one motorcycle lost control and veered into oncoming traffic. Residents said the riders had reportedly visited the Karadipokku fuel station shortly before the crash.
Authorities are continuing investigations into the incident.
The death of Ms. Kagitha Shanmugam prompted an outpouring of grief on social media and renewed criticism from residents who say authorities have failed to adequately curb reckless riding, stunt driving, and alleged narcotics use among some youths in Kilinochchi and nearby districts.
