Sri Lankan authorities arrest 135, mostly Chinese nationals, in a major cybercrime raid for visa violations and illegal work in an online scam operation.
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan immigration authorities have arrested 135 suspects in a raid on an alleged Chinese-run online scam operation.
An official involved in the raid told AFP that most of the detainees were Chinese men and women.
The majority will be charged with violating the conditions of their tourist visas and working illegally, the official said on condition of anonymity.
“We are still in the process of compiling a list of the suspects,” the official added.
Computers and mobile phones used by the suspects were also seized during the operation.
Tuesday’s arrests in the northcentral district of Anuradhapura mark the biggest such action since October 2024.
At that time, authorities detained 230 Chinese nationals operating cybercrime centres in several parts of the island.
The Chinese embassy said then that Beijing’s crackdown on cybercriminals may have pushed some operations abroad.
In 2024, Sri Lankan police also arrested 200 suspects, mainly Indian nationals, accused of operating online financial scams.
