The police is soft-pedaling on the inquiry in to the arrest of a 17 year-old school boy for the murder of a five-year-old girl in Kotadeniyawa last September.

The inquiry was ordered by the IGP on October 4 and was to be overseen by Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundera. The IGP called for an interim report, to be submitted on October 7.

However, its report is yet to be received by the IGP, Police Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara told Asian Mirror.

He added that the committee had asked for additional time since a thorough investigation was to be launched. The police even obtained statements from other individuals arrested and held at the Kotadeniyawa Police at the time of the schoolboy's arrest, he added.

However, six weeks have passed since the initiation of the internal inquiry.

It was alleged that the Kotadeniyawa Police arrested the schoolboy and another individual without sufficient evidence. Both were later released based on DNA evidence.