Footage has been obtained from CCTV cameras that captured the movements of the COVID-19 patient, who fled from the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) on Friday (24).
It was revealed that the escapee had wandered through many roads before arriving at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo.
After escaping from the IDH, the 41-year-old is seen entering and walking up and down the Halgahadeniya Madanwila Road.
Further, at around 2.25 am, he sneaks into the garden of a nearby house, where he changes into fresh clothes stolen from the washing line and hangs around for nearly 20 minutes.
The residents of the house yesterday (25) discovered the clothes that the escaped patient had changed out of, hurled on to their roof.
The officers of Welikada and Mulleriyawa police stations arrived at the scene and took necessary measures to disinfect the house. The clothes that the escapee had been wearing were subsequently destroyed.
In the meantime, the CCTV cameras at Angoda Junction had captured the escapee riding a bicycle.
Police Media Spokesperson, addressing a media briefing yesterday, revealed that CCTV footage uncovered so far have proved the escapee’s statements about his movements wrong.
A person, who was receiving treatment for COVID-19, fled from the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) last morning (24).
The escapee, identified as Mohammed Kasim Mohammed Nasim, is a resident of Marble Beach Road, China Bay in Trincomalee.
He was being treated at the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Kandakadu for his severe drug addiction, according to reports.
The 41-year-old had been admitted to the Welikanda Base Hospital on the 9th of July after testing positive for COVID-19 while at the rehabilitation centre. He was subsequently transferred to the IDH on the 15th of July.
However, he had made his escape from the IDH at around 2.00 am yesterday and hours later, several teams of the Army were deployed to locate the suspect. Public assistance was also sought to apprehend the escapee.
At around 10.00 am yesterday, the patient was found near the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo.
It was revealed that he had gone to the Main Street in Pettah after breaking out of the hospital and later arrived at the Colombo National Hospital in a three-wheeler.
The driver of the three-wheeler in which the escapee travelled in, was directed to the quarantine centre in Kandakadu while the escapee was brought back to the IDH.
