EXTRA: Cat detained for ‘smuggling drugs’ escapes Sri Lanka prison

A cat detained inside a high-security prison in Sri Lanka, an island country in South Asia, for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs and cell phone SIM cards has escaped, officials said on Monday.

NAN reports that the prison officials found the animal entering the Welikada prison in Colombo on Saturday, with a small parcel tied to its neck.

The said parcel contained 1.8 grams of heroin, two SIM cards, and a memory chip for phones.

“The cat was detained in a room inside the prisons to facilitate investigations, but has escaped from the room,” the police said.

The police, however, said that investigations are underway to determine if the cat had been used previously to smuggle drugs and contraband while it will also check CCTV footage and interview prisoners.

The incident comes shortly after a person attempted to throw a ball packed with heroin into the same prison and was arrested.

It also comes in the wake of tightening security in prisons to prevent smuggling in phones and drugs into prisons.

It also follows in the wake of the tightening security situation in the country’s prisons to prevent smuggling in phones, drugs, and other contraband substances into prisons.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had earlier directed prison officials to tighten security in prisons after reports that prison inmates were still coordinating criminal activities by mobile phone.

At least three prison officials who helped prisoners get goods like phones were arrested on Sunday.