A Tamil man in Mannar reported that Sri Lankan police arrested him after he refused to buy cannabis from them.
Two Tamil men were approached by two non-uniformed police officers while they were smoking cigarettes in Naruvili Kulam, Mannar.
The police officers forced cannabis into the hands of one man and urged the pair to buy it. When both men refused, the officers arrested the man holding the drugs and took him to Murunkan police station.
Despite police trying to blackmail the man into producing a guilty confession, he was later released due to lack of evidence.
The incident angered locals who said the incident raised concerns about the legitimacy of the growing number of alleged drug-related arrests in the district.
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