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Sri Lanka arrests 152 in alleged Chinese-run cyberscam

By AFP
April 04, 2026
The representational image features a person wearing black gloves typing on a laptop keyboard in a dimly lit environment, with blue text visible on the screen.
The representational image features a person wearing black gloves typing on a laptop keyboard in a dimly lit environment, with blue text visible on the screen.

COLOMBO: Police in Sri Lanka arrested 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, on Friday for allegedly running a cyberscam operation out of a hotel in the island´s northwest, officials said.

The raid took place in the coastal town of Chilaw, 80-kms north of Colombo, following a tip-off, police spokesman Frederick Wootler told AFP.

“Those involved in scamming will be dealt with under our criminal law, while others could be deported,” Wootler said. Local police sources said two Chinese men who tried to escape during the raid were injured and admitted to hospital.