COLOMBO – Sri Lanka Police have arrested 80 foreign nationals in separate raids in Colombo and Matara over allegations of involvement in financial scams and violations of immigration regulations, authorities said on Thursday (7).
In the largest operation, officers attached to the Sri Lanka Police arrested 74 Vietnamese nationals during a raid carried out Wednesday (6) evening at a housing complex in the Uttarananda Mawatha area of Kollupitiya.
The arrested included 41 men and 33 women aged between 19 and 39, police said.
Authorities suspect the group had been engaged in organized financial fraud activities while residing in the country. Investigations are also underway into possible violations of visa conditions and immigration laws.
The Kollupitiya Police Station is conducting further investigations.
In a separate operation, officers from the Divisional Crime Detective Bureau in Matara arrested six foreign nationals, including one woman, during a raid at a hotel in the Talalla area of Gandara.
Police said the foreign nationals, identified as Taiwanese and Chinese aged between 25 and 40, had allegedly been operating businesses and engaging in financial fraud while remaining in Sri Lanka on tourist visas.
Authorities also said foreign cigarettes were recovered during the raid.
The foreign nationals are expected to face charges related to immigration violations, unauthorized business activities and alleged financial crimes.
The Gandara Police is continuing investigations into the incident.
-ENCL
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