(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan police have sought Chinese assistance to curb the rise in online crime where the bulk of the culprits are known to be Chinese nationals or affiliated to China, officials said on Tuesday.
They said that the request had been made by the Criminal Investigation Department CID) to the Chinese Special Criminal Investigation Unit.
In recent days, police have arrested numerous Chinese nationals on charges of online financial frauds in various areas across the island.
However, investigations were hampered because the data on the suspects’ laptops and mobile phones are in Chinese, making it difficult for local authorities to proceed.
To address this issue, with the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Sri Lanka Police sought the assistance of the Chinese Special Criminal Investigation Unit and they have arranged to provide the necessary support for the investigations.
As a result, 10 officers from the Chinese Special Criminal Investigation Unit arrived in the country and are now collaborating with the Sri Lankan CID, police said.
They said an agreement to this effect was reached on Monday, with Deputy Inspector General of the CID Rohan Premaratne and CID Director SSP Mangala Dehideniya.
In June 2024, the CID arrested a group of Chinese and Indian nationals for committing financial fraud through online platforms while residing in Sri Lanka. A total of 137 suspects, including 31 Chinese nationals, were arrested.
During the operations, the police also seized 158 mobile phones, 16 laptops and 60 desktop computers from some of the suspects.
