COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Sri Lankan police on Thursday arrested the reigning Lady World for removing the crown of the winner of a Sri Lankan beauty pageant and allegedly causing injuries. She was later released on bail.
Caroline Jurie, who won the Mrs. World 2020, was accused of injuring Pushpika De Silva, who won the title of Mrs. Sri Lanka in a televised pageant held on Sunday in Colombo.
Moments after De Silva won the title, Jurie, who is also from Sri Lanka, took the stage and snatched the crown from him, saying he was not eligible because he was divorced. Jurie gave the crown to the first place winner, declaring that she was the winner.
In a statement on his Facebook page, De Silva denied the divorce.
“Being apart is one. Divorce is something else. I am still a non-divorced woman, ”she wrote.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said police received a complaint from De Silva because he suffered injuries when his crown was removed.
Rohana said Jurie and a model, Chula Padmendra, were arrested on Thursday on charges of “simple injury and criminal force” and released on bail. The two women have been ordered to appear in court on April 19.
Jurie declined to comment when she left the police station.
The incident of Sunday’s pageant, which was attended by the Prime Minister’s wife, created a great stir in the Indian Ocean island nation. On Monday, the organizers of the pageant said they would return the crown to De Silva.