23 December, the speaker Karu Jayasuriya revealed that the people who destroyed the Soodaikudah Stupa in Sampur has been identified. A few days after the statement, three people were arrested with a bulldozer and a lorry which were used to destroy the Stupa. The bulldozer had been brought to the Hindu shrine to dig a drinking well around 100 metres away from the Kovil but they had used the vehicle to destroy the Stupa. Local media reported that the two drivers involved in the destruction of the Stupa had met with accidents at different places on the same day. On 29 December the Department of Archaeology announced that they will take over the entire land area, where the Sudaikuda Stupa was located for further preservation. In January police arrested three senior members of the Hindu temple board who had connected with the incident. See also Sagama Seya Mottagala Gamini Tissa Monastery References Archaeological sites in Sri Lanka Hindu temples in Trincomalee District