Hundreds of foreigners arrested for operating scam centres near Colombo
The island is becoming a new hotspot for foreign-operated online scam operations. Local authorities are concerned over their negative impact on the country’s image and economy, especially tourism. Police have arrested people from Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as seized laptops and mobile phones.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka is increasingly becoming a hotspot for online scams, as the authorities report a sharp rise in the number of cybercrime networks run by foreigners across the island.
The growing number of online scam centres is raising serious concerns among government and police leaders, who warn that such activities not only endanger national security but also damage the country's international reputation.
The presence of such networks could negatively impact the economy, negatively affect tourism revenue, and divert financial flows away from the country.
For Sampath Perera, chairperson of the Sri Lanka Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers, “the increasing presence of foreign-linked scam networks has coincided with one of the most serious digital financial security incidents in Sri Lanka’s history.”
Meanwhile, a special unit within the Department of Immigration and Emigration has arrested foreign nationals for violating visa conditions, while alerting relevant police stations across the island to conduct raids related to such violations.
“Those responsible will be prosecuted under Sri Lanka's Cybercrimes Act”,[*] said lawyers Sandesha Amarasekara and Udaya Serasinghe, speaking to AsiaNews. For this reason, "they will not be immediately deported, nor will they be allowed to leave the country" voluntarily.
“In the first half of 2026, a series of coordinated raids in various locations led to the arrest of over a hundred foreign nationals involved in illegal financial transactions and online scams."
Recently, they note, “operations took place in Rajagiriya, a Colombo suburb, with police raiding a multi-story residential complex on the Meda Welikada Road."
During the raid, around 120 suspects were taken into custody, hailing from various countries, not all from Asia, namely Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. They were carrying out illegal financial activities from multiple floors.
Multiple laptops and mobile phones were seized, which are now undergoing forensic analysis as part of the police investigation.
The suspects, who used the flats as living and operational quarters, diverted money from international accounts and illegally transferred funds, with the tourism sector often as a cover.
Overall police arrested approximately 120 suspects during the raid in Rajagiriya, but many others reportedly fled, with law enforcement still on their tracks.
According to a source close to the police, “on 2 May, another raid was carried out in Talangama, a Colombo suburb, resulting in the arrest of 37 foreign nationals, including a woman, on suspicion of involvement in cybercrime."
The raid, the source noted, "was conducted by officers from the Walana Central Anti-Corruption Strike Force along with Talangama police. The suspects were identified as Chinese nationals aged 23 to 44. After their arrest, they were taken to the Talangama police station. The investigation revealed that two individuals were in the country without a valid visa, while another did not have a passport."
In March, a joint operation by military intelligence and immigration authorities in Anuradhapura and Mihintale, North Western Province, saw the arrest of 134 foreign nationals operating from various guest houses.
Another major raid followed in April in Chilaw, in the same province, with more than 150 people arrested on suspicion of running an online scam from a rented hotel. During the raid, officers recovered over 140 laptops and some 400 mobile phones used in online scams.
Similar networks were broken up in other parts of the island, including Katunayaka, Negombo and Wattala in Gampaha district, and Baddegama in Galle district.
[*] Computer Crime Act, No. 24 of 2007.
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26/02/2025 20:17
30/09/2025 13:57
