In a social media post now going viral, the husband of the woman who was arrested for running over and killing two puppies in Mathurata claims she is a novice driver and did not kill the puppies on purpose. Speaking to the person who had posted the claim on social media, the husband had said the wife had started driving only recently and was still an unsure driver. He had claimed she had not intended to kill the puppies.

Mathurata Police last week arrested the 27-year-old woman driver in connection with the viral video showing a car running over two puppies.

Acting on a complaint received on February 18, police commenced investigations and found that the incident shown in the CCTV footage that went viral on social media had occurred on the evening of February 17 at Kadurukade along the Padiyapalella-Rikillagaskada Main Road.

The two puppies who were killed had been about two months old and investigations had further revealed that they had been abandoned on the roadside by someone several days before. The dog shown in the video near the two puppies was from a nearby house and had been friendly with the two puppies who were run over.

Police traced the vehicle using its licence plate and found that the car that ran over the puppies belonged to an individual in Mathurata and that the owner's sister-in-law had been behind the wheel when the incident occurred. She had been on her way from Padiyapalella to her home in Rikillagaskada when the incident occurred.

After the owner of the car was notified of the incident, the 27-year-old woman who had been driving the vehicle at the time of the incident had come to Mathurata Police yesterday (20) along with her husband. She was arrested by police under the Animal Cruelty Act after recording her statement.

The suspect was produced before the Walapane Magistrate's Court yesterday, where she admitted to the offence and expressed regret for her actions in court. The court ordered her release on personal bail of Rs. 100, 000. The case will be taken up again on June 1.