The body of a newborn baby girl was discovered yesterday (1) inside the toilet of a third-class compartment of a train stationed at the Maligawatte railway yard.

According to police, the infant is believed to have been approximately three days old at the time of death. The discovery was made by a group of cleaning staff who were attending to the train after its journey ended in Colombo. The train, bearing number 8346, had arrived from Puttalam to Galle this morning and was later moved to the Maligawatte yard.

The staff had noticed a strong foul smell emanating from one of the third-class coaches and upon inspection, found a transparent bag containing the body of a baby left inside the toilet. The Dematagoda Police were immediately informed, and investigations were launched.

Initial investigations suggest the baby may not have been born in a hospital, and part of the umbilical cord was still attached to the body. The bag in which the infant was placed was identified as a transparent plastic duty-free bag, believed to have been obtained from a duty-free store in Dubai. Police confirmed this after scanning a QR code on the bag.

The Acting Magistrate of Aluthkade visited the scene this afternoon to inspect the body and the compartment. Further investigations are ongoing.