Sri Lankan police say 37 Chinese nationals were arrested in Colombo over an alleged cyberscam operation, with phones and tablets seized.
A sudden crackdown in Colombo has led to the arrest of 37 Chinese nationals suspected of running a cyberscam centre, police said.
Misryoum reports that Sri Lankan police arrested the suspects after a tip-off, accusing them of involvement in online fraud. The group, including one woman, ranges in age from 23 to 44.
Police said the alleged operation was tied to the capital Colombo, and the arrests reflect a wider push against foreign-run online scam activity.
In this context, the focus on visas matters because it can quickly narrow down who authorities can question and how they plan the next steps.
Misryoum adds that investigators said many of the suspects entered the country on tourist visas and were working illegally, while two had overstayed their permits. Authorities described the case as part of ongoing checks tied to immigration status.
A local police source said the suspected scam centre in the Colombo suburb of Talangama was found with seized items, including tablet computers, mobile phones, and SIM cards.
Misryoum notes that the arrests come amid earlier detentions of foreign nationals over similar allegations. A month before, authorities detained 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, linked to a cyberscam operation in the island’s northwest, and later deported at least some of those detained.
Separately, immigration authorities arrested 135 Chinese men and women in March over accusations of running another similar scam operation. They have since been deported.
This kind of enforcement can disrupt scam networks, but it also shows how quickly alleged fraud models can move across borders when online crime targets remain lucrative.
At the end of its latest statement, Misryoum said Sri Lankan authorities highlighted factors that they believe can attract fraud gangs, including the telecommunications environment, the country’s location, and visa-related leniency.. Misryoum also referenced that in 2024 authorities detained hundreds of Chinese and Indian nationals accused of operating cybercrime centres around the island.