Sri Lanka, Aug. 11 -- A court in Puttalam today (11) ordered that the ilmenite processing site located in Aruwakkalu adjacent to the Wilpattu National Park boundary, be placed under police custody until further investigations are completed.

The order was issued by Puttalam District Judge Mihil Chirantha Sathurusinghe following a report presented to court regarding the operation of the site without proper legal authorization within a highly sensitive environmental zone.

The local company operating the site had reportedly been conducting ilmenite processing without valid approval from the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), while also disregarding orders issued by the Department of Archaeology. Based on a complaint received, the si...