Sri Lanka arrests Swiss Embassy worker who claimed abduction

Sri Lankan police have arrested a Swiss Embassy employee who said she was abducted and then threatened to disclose embassy-related information

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan police have arrested a Swiss Embassy employee who said she was abducted and then threatened to disclose embassy-related information.

Police said they arrested Gania Banister Francis on Monday on suspicion that she made statements that caused disaffection toward the government and fabricated evidence in her abduction claim. A court approved her detention.

The Swiss foreign ministry has called the Nov. 25 incident a “very serious and unacceptable attack” and summoned Sri Lanka’s ambassador to demand an investigation.

The government has insisted that evidence collected by its investigators did not support the sequence of events given by the embassy.

Francis was summoned to the Criminal Investigations Department to make statements over five days and was subjected to medical tests and a psychiatric analysis.

The Attorney General’s Department told the Criminal Investigations Department earlier Monday that there is no evidence to support Francis’ claim that she was abducted, subjected to coercion or sexual harassment.