Sri Lanka arrests 152 people in alleged Chinese-run cyberscam

## Summary
Advertisement Asia Sri Lanka arrests 152 people in alleged Chinese-run cyberscam Local police sources say Chinese nationals had rented an entire hotel in the coastal town of Chilaw to run an alleged cyberscam operation. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST COLOMBO: Police in Sri Lanka arrested 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, on Friday (Apr 3) for allegedly running a cyberscam operation out of a hotel in the island's northwest, officials said. The police sources said 143 laptops, 120 desktop computers and 370 mobile phones were found at the centre, which was run by Chinese men who had rented an entire hotel in the area. The Chinese embassy in Colombo said after those arrests it was working closely with local authorities to prevent its nationals from carrying out scamming operations in Sri Lanka. "Due to Sri Lanka's well-developed telecommunications infrastructure, favourable geographical location, and relatively lenient visa policies ... some telecom fraud gangs have moved to Sri Lanka," the embassy said. "That's why such cases have been increasing in Sri Lanka recently," it said, noting that the scammers had been targeting Chinese nationals at home.

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Sri Lanka arrests 152 people in alleged Chinese-run cyberscam
Local police sources say Chinese nationals had rented an entire hotel in the coastal town of Chilaw to run an alleged cyberscam operation.
Metal handcuffs on the floor. (Photo: iStock)
05 Apr 2026 03:04PM
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COLOMBO: Police in Sri Lanka arrested 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, on Friday (Apr 3) 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, 80km 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.
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The other suspects appeared in a local court and were remanded in custody until Apr 9, pending further investigations.
The police sources said 143 laptops, 120 desktop computers and 370 mobile phones were found at the centre, which was run by Chinese men who had rented an entire hotel in the area.
Among those arrested were 133 Chinese, including seven women, and 13 Vietnamese.
Immigration authorities arrested 135 Chinese men and women last month for allegedly running a similar cyberscam. They have since been deported.
The Chinese embassy in Colombo said after those arrests it was working closely with local authorities to prevent its nationals from carrying out scamming operations in Sri Lanka.
"Due to Sri Lanka's well-developed telecommunications infrastructure, favourable geographical location, and relatively lenient visa policies ... some telecom fraud gangs have moved to Sri Lanka," the embassy said.
"That's why such cases have been increasing in Sri Lanka recently," it said, noting that the scammers had been targeting Chinese nationals at home.
Authorities detained 230 Chinese nationals operating cybercrime centres in various parts of the island in 2024.
Sri Lanka's police also arrested 200 Indian nationals the same year who were also accused of operating online financial scams.
Also read:
Cambodia extradites accused cyberscam boss to China
Behind Cambodian border casino, Thai military shows off a scam hub
Source: AFP/ws
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less The other suspects appeared in a local court and were remanded in custody until Apr 9, pending further investigations.

### Implications
- The raid took place in the coastal town of Chilaw, 80km 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.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers chinese, sri, lanka topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 596.