A Fabricated Tale: The Story of the Medical College-Bound Girl Ended Up on Negombo Prison

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On the day of the Negombo Prison clash, a number of inmates climbed onto the roof in protest, and a photograph of one of the women grabbed the attention of many netizens and spread rapidly online. Around that image grew a heartbreaking story: that she was a gifted student who had been jailed over a drug parcel she unknowingly carried for her boyfriend, even at a time being selected for medical school. It was shared as fact, and thousands believed it, especially since the story was attributed to a so-called investigative journalist. We tracked the story to its source. Let us look at the claim first.

Social Media Posts

The posts claimed the young woman had been a star pupil at a well-known school in Badulla, had won a scholarship place at a leading girls’ school in Colombo, excelled at netball, and served as a prefect. These posts went on to claim that a boyfriend she met through a WhatsApp group had drawn her unknowingly into transporting drugs, that she was arrested and sentenced under Section 54(2) while awaiting her A/L results, and that she later found out that she had been selected for medical school.

Facebook | Archived Link | Facebook | Archived Link

The posts circulated widely across Facebook as shown below.

Fact Check:

On July 5 and 6, 2026, a violent clash rooted in a drug-trafficking dispute broke out between two groups of inmates at Negombo Prison. It claimed over 30 lives in all, including prison officers and inmates, and more than a hundred people were injured and admitted to hospital.

The woman at the center of the viral story, referred to in the posts by a set of demeaning nicknames, was among those who took part in the rooftop protest at the prison. The story attached to her was attributed to a person presenting himself as an investigative journalist, Nalinda Danaranjan, and was widely taken to be a true account.

The Author Presents Himself as a Photographer, not a journalist.

Examining the Facebook account under the name Nalinda Danaranjan, we found that he identifies himself as a photographer, not as a journalist, and we found no record of him working as one. The original Facebook post that gave rise to these viral claims can be found here. Archived Link

The Author Confirms He Invented the Story

We contacted Nalinda Danaranjan directly. He told us the story about this young woman is not a true account but a fictional narrative he had shared purely for entertainment. He added that he had previously posted similar invented stories about other people who had become subjects of public discussion.

Negombo Prison

We also contacted Negombo Prison to seek factual information about the woman who had become the subject of this widespread discussion. Officials there said that information concerning inmates could not be disclosed.

Accordingly, there is no evidence, official source or identifiable person supporting any element of the circulating account.

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Conclusion

There is no evidence, official source or identifiable individual to support the story circulated about the young woman who took part in the rooftop protest at Negombo Prison, including the claims about her schooling, her sporting record, a romantic relationship, her alleged involvement in transporting drugs and her supposed selection to medical school.

The account spreading on social media is an entirely fictional narrative, written by a social media user for entertainment and then mistaken for fact. We rate it false.