Lanka arrests Swiss embassy staffer over kidnap claim

A Sri Lankan working at the Swiss embassy in Colombo, who sparked a diplomatic spat after claiming she was kidnapped and forced to divulge sensitive information, was arrested yesterday for allegedly making a false accusation. The Swiss embassy said the woman was abducted and sexually assaulted by unidentified attackers on November 25, a day after a Sri Lankan police inspector investigating cases involving the family of the president and prime minister sought asylum in Switzerland. She was arrested after Attorney-General Dappula de Livera advised the police’s Criminal Investigations Department to name her as a suspect, his coordinating officer Nishara Jayaratne said.