Sri Lankan police have arrested 37 Chinese nationals suspected of operating a cyber scam centre in the capital Colombo, marking the latest in a series of crackdowns on foreign-run online fraud networks in the country.
A police spokesman said the suspects, aged between 23 and 44 and including one woman, were detained following a tip-off in the Colombo suburb of Talangama.
Authorities said the group had entered Sri Lanka on tourist visas but were allegedly working illegally, with two individuals also found to have overstayed their permitted stay.
During the raid, police seized 35 tablet computers, 147 mobile phones and 100 SIM cards believed to have been used in the suspected scam operation.
The arrests come just weeks after 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, were detained in a similar operation at a hotel in the island’s north-west region. In a separate case in March, 135 Chinese nationals were also arrested for allegedly running another scam network and were subsequently deported.
Sri Lankan authorities have intensified enforcement efforts amid concerns that the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and visa policies are being exploited by transnational cybercrime groups.
Officials said the latest operation is part of ongoing efforts to dismantle organised online fraud syndicates operating within the country.
The Chinese Embassy in Colombo had previously stated that it was cooperating with Sri Lankan authorities to prevent nationals from being involved in scam-related activities.
Police investigations into the latest group are ongoing.
