Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. Mahinda Balasuriya has passed away at the age of 68.
He had passed away at around 5.00 p.m. this evening while being treated at a private hospital in Narahenpita, according to police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana.
The details of the funeral of Dr. Mahinda Balasuriya will be announced later, he said.
Balasuriya, who was the 33rd IGP of Sri Lanka, had also previously served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Brazil and the Ambassador to UAE.
In 2014, he had been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order.
He had enlisted into the police service as the probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in 1978 and held various positions in the Sri Lanka Police Department especially during the war against the LTTE, when he was the top police officer in charge of the Northern and Eastern parts of the country.
In addition to that, Mahinda Balasuriya is recognized as the officer who introduced the concept of the ‘119’ police emergency hotline service across the country.
