Colombo (News1st): The Presidential Secretariat has requested a report from the commissioner general of prisons on the incident where drug trafficker Sunil Shantha escaped from prison.

Senior officials said it had not yet been confirmed how the suspect had escaped from prison. Eight prison officers have been suspended with regard to the incident.

Media spokesman for the Prisons Commissioner Thushara Upuldeniya said that preliminary investigations revealed that the prison officers had neglected their duties.

The Police Narcotics Bureau and the CID are conducting separate investigations.

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