Police in Colombo have launched a manhunt for a person who stole the official flag of the former president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after anti-government protestors stormed the presidential office earlier this month.
In a video shared on Twitter, a man can be seen using the president’s official flag as a bed sheet. The man could be heard saying that he will destroy the flag by setting it on fire.
In a video shared on Twitter, a man can be seen using the president’s official flag as a bed sheet. The man could be heard saying that he will destroy the flag by setting it on fire.
Based on the video evidence, police are investigating the matter, claiming that the man had tied the flag to his waist before leaving the presidential premises during the protests in the Sri Lankan capital.
The police further said that the suspect has been identified with the help of CCTV footage.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since independence. The South Asian country defaulted on $51 billion in foreign debt after running out of cash reserves in April.
Food, fuel, and essential commodities are in short supply in the nation of 22 million people. The new government, led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, is now negotiating a $4 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).