Sri Lanka Arrests 231 Foreigners in Latest Cyberscams Crackdown

Prison guards escort foreign nationals to a court in Kaduwela, a suburb of Colombo, on May 7, 2026 after their arrest on suspicion of running cyberscam centers. Sri Lanka police arrested 231 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese and Vietnamese, following raids on three suspected cyberscam centres in the capital since the weekend, officials said on May 7. In Sri Lanka, authorities cracked down on two suspected cybserscam centres on May 3, arresting 37 and 120 people respectively. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)
Prison guards escort foreign nationals to a court in Kaduwela, a suburb of Colombo, on May 7, 2026 after their arrest on suspicion of running cyberscam centers. Photo / Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

Sri Lanka police have arrested 231 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese and Vietnamese, following raids on suspected cyberscam centers in the capital since the weekend, officials said Thursday.

Crime groups internationally have carried out online cons, defrauding victims of tens of billions of dollars annually, often through cryptocurrency scams and phony romantic relationships.

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by Agence France-Presse

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