Tense situation in Sri Lankan capital as mobs protest police raid

A tense situation erupted in Dematogoda in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo Saturday evening as a group of people protested a police raid in a settlement there.
The protesters blocked traffic on main Baseline Road near the Railway Employees' Esplanade causing heavy traffic jam in one of the city's major highways. Later, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the mob, police sources said. The police in an early morning raid today conducted jointly by the police and the Special Task Force arrested number of persons linked to crime. The protesters claimed the police abducted a group of residents under false allegations of possessing illicit liquor.