Colombo: Sri Lanka police have arrested an astrologer who predicted President Maithripala Sirisena would die.
Most Sri Lankans follow advises of astrologers for making decisions, and the suspect, astrologer Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni, is a former navy sailor convicted of attempting to assassinate India's then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by assaulting him when he visited the island in 1989.
The Police Media Division said Wijemuni was arrested Tuesday evening on the charges of making false predictions and comments that could mislead people.
Wijemuni posted several videos on Facebook predicting Sirisena would die of illness or accident before Jan. 27. His predictions raised concerns of top government officials, and Media Ministry Secretary Nimal Bopage asked the police chief in December to investigate, as he suspected a possible coup and assassination were behind Wijemuni's campaign.
