Over 130 Foreign Nationals Arrested In Sri Lanka Cybercrime Bust

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested over 130 foreign nationals in a major cybercrime crackdown, targeting cross-border online fraud networks operating within the country.

More than 130 foreign nationals were arrested in Sri Lanka for alleged cybercrime operations over the last two days, police said.

The police actions are part of a wider crackdown on cross-border online fraud networks operating from the island nation.

Cybercrime Arrests In Colombo Suburbs

In a raid in Thalangama, a suburb of Colombo, the police arrested 37 Chinese nationals on Saturday.

One of them was a woman, two of them did not have valid visas, and one did not possess a passport, according to the police.

All of them were aged between 24 and 44.

In a separate raid on Sunday, more than 100 people were arrested in Rajagiriya, another Colombo suburb.

International Cybercrime Syndicate

Those arrested in the second raid were from different countries that include China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia.

They were operating from a rented apartment, the police said.

Those arrested in the raids have been booked under the Computer Crimes Act -- Sri Lanka's main law to counter cybercrime, hacking, and data misuse among other things.

These arrests follow a series of similar operations in recent months, police said.

In April, police arrested around 150 foreign nationals, most of them Chinese, over an alleged online financial fraud operation in Chilaw City.

Several such groups have been busted over the last one year.

Officials say such groups are often part of wider international syndicates that target victims abroad using digital platforms and communication systems.

Law enforcement agencies have often suggested that Sri Lanka's connectivity and visa access are likely to have contributed to making it vulnerable to such activities, with some suspects accused of entering the country on short-term permits.