137 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for cybercrime

Sri Lankan police arrested 137 Indians from different places in Sri Lanka on charges of cybercrime. One hundred fifty-eight mobile phones, 16 laptops, and 60 desktop computers have been seized from them. The raids were simultaneously carried out by the CID in the Colombo suburbs of Madivela and Battaramulla and the western coastal city of Negombo. In Negombo, 55 Indians have been taken into custody along with the seizure of 55 mobile phones and 29 laptops.

SSP Nihal Thaldhuva, into whose initiative the action was taken, said that he received inputs that these Indians were involved in cyber crimes. After tracing their location, the officials caught 53 people in Kochchikade and seized 31 laptops along with 58 mobile phones from them. At the same time, 13 Indians were arrested in this operation conducted in Madivela. They could only recover eight laptops and 38 mobile phones from them. While in Thalangama, 16 Indians were rounded up and eight laptops with 38 mobile phones were seized from their possession.

The SSP said that this action was taken after a victim's complaint. He was lured with the promise of cash for social media interaction in a WhatsApp group. Many victims like him were forced to deposit after the initial payment. Among these accused is also a father-son duo.

Surprisingly, these Indian accused had their associates in Dubai and Afghanistan as well. The victims were not only locals and foreigners from Sri Lanka but also from some other countries. These accused used to engage in illegal activities of financial fraud, illegal betting, and gambling.