A powerful Cabinet minister from the Colombo district had attempted to reverse the decision made by the police to send actress Piumi Hansamali and several others for quarantine after they attended a party in Colombo violating lockdown regulations.

The Minister had directly telephoned Piumi Hansamali and asked her to give the mobile phone to the police officer who was in charge of the bus which was taking them to a state-run quarantine facility in Bandarawela. The Minister had directed the officer to turn the bus back and return to Colombo.

Perplexed by the Minister's order, the officer had then spoken to Western Province Senior DIG Dehsabandu Tennakoon and asked for instruction. It was learnt that Tennakoon had contacted IGP Chandana Wickremaratne and sought his instructions on the Minister's order.

Asian Mirror learns that Wickremeratne had then spoken to President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and informed him of the development. It was the President who had directed the IGP to enforce the law disregarding the Minister's interference.