Colombo:

Sri Lankan police have arrested at least 200 foreigners, the majority of them Indians, for allegedly engaging in online financial scams, a media report said on Saturday.

The Criminal Investigations Department also found that funds obtained through such frauds have been deposited in bank accounts in the UK, Dubai and India.

News portal NewsFirst.lk quoted officials from the Criminal Investigation Department who said that there were Chinese, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Nepali nationals among those arrested but a majority of them were Indian nationals.

About 400 computers used by the suspects are being subject to investigation.

Earlier on Friday, police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said some 60 Indians were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and the western coastal town of Negombo.

The CID had conducted simultaneous raids in these areas leading to the seizure of 135 mobile phones and 57 laptops.

The crackdown was the result of a complaint from a victim who was lured into a WhatsApp group promising cash for social media interactions.

Police had said the arrests exposed international links in Dubai and Afghanistan even as the victims included both locals and foreigners. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Colombo:

At least 60 Indian nationals part of a group engaged in online financial scams have been arrested by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department.

They were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and from the western coastal town of Negombo.

According to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the CID conducted simultaneous raids in these mentioned areas, leading to the seizure of 135 mobile phones and 57 laptops.

The crackdown follows a complaint from a victim who was lured into a WhatsApp group promising cash for social media interactions.

Further investigation revealed a scheme where victims were coerced into making deposits after initial payments. In Peradeniya, a father-son duo admitted to aiding the fraudsters, Daily Mirror Lanka newspaper reported.

Key evidence uncovered during a luxury house raid in Negombo led to the initial arrest of 13 suspects and the seizure of 57 phones and computers.

Subsequent operations in Negombo yielded 19 additional arrests, exposing international links in Dubai and Afghanistan. Victims included both locals and foreigners, the report added.

It is suspected that they were involved in financial fraud, illegal betting and various activities of gambling.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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The Hindu

At least 60 Indian nationals part of a group engaged in online financial scams have been arrested by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department.

They were arrested on June 27 from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and from the western coastal town of Negombo.

According to Police Spokesman S.S.P. Nihal Thalduwa, the CID conducted simultaneous raids in these mentioned areas, leading to the seizure of 135 mobile phones and 57 laptops. The crackdown follows a complaint from a victim who was lured into a WhatsApp group promising cash for social media interactions.

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Further investigation revealed a scheme wherein victims were coerced into making deposits after initial payments. In Peradeniya, a father-son duo admitted to aiding the fraudsters, Daily Mirror Lanka newspaper reported.

Key evidence uncovered during a luxury house raid in Negombo led to the initial arrest of 13 suspects and the seizure of 57 phones and computers.

“Subsequent operations in Negombo yielded 19 additional arrests, exposing international links in Dubai and Afghanistan. Victims included both locals and foreigners,” the report added.

It is suspected that they were involved in financial fraud, illegal betting and various activities of gambling.