National ID identifies Mannar youth in alleged cyanide incident

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 April 2007, 13:05 GMT]
The Tamil youth who allegedly killed himself taking cyanide after being arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Wednesday in Mannar has been identified by his National Identity Card (NIC) as Vaithilingam Roshan, 27, of Muttur in Trincomalee district. The acting Mannar Magistrate Mr.M.P.Farook who viewed his body at Mannar hospital Thursday afternoon ordered the hospital authorities to keep the body for three days for his relatives to claim, sources said.

SLA soldiers took the youth into custody when he was travelling in a three-wheeler along Vankalai-Nanattan road.

Later he was admitted by the SLA to the Mannar general hospital on a report that he had consumed cyanide when being interrogated.

He passed away while undergoing treatment.

Authorities had recovered the NIC of the youth from his shirt pocket, sources said.