Amid a rising number of incidents where foreign nationals are being arrested for engaging in online scams, and some for visa violations, the Police have warned that while the relevant foreigners are being punished according to the law, local citizens who rent houses to such scammers will also have to be dealt with in courts of law.
Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (5), Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police and attorney F.U. Wootler said that the foreigners who are arrested are being referred to detention centres as per court directions. He added that owners of houses, apartments, and other rented premises from which these foreigners had operated scams will also be questioned. He warned the general public to be careful when renting out houses.
As of early 2026, Sri Lanka has become a major hub for foreign-run, organised cybercrime, with hundreds of foreign nationals - mainly Chinese, along with Vietnamese, Malaysian, and other nationals - arrested for operating online scam networks. These groups operate from rented, high-end apartment complexes and villas, running fake investment apps, cryptocurrency fraud, and social media scams.
Further contacted, the Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola said that in these scams, the target is not Sri Lankans but foreigners in most instances, even though the groups operate within the country.
A series of raids has led to hundreds of arrests. In March, a joint operation involving military intelligence and Immigration authorities in Anuradhapura and Mihintale resulted in the arrest of 134 foreign nationals operating from guest houses. This was followed by another major raid in April in Chilaw, where more than 150 suspects were detained for allegedly running a cyber-scam operation from a rented hotel. Later, in Rajagiriya, over 120 foreign nationals were arrested, and a total of 37 foreign nationals, including a woman, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in computer-related crimes following a raid in Talangama.
Attempts to contact the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Arun Hemachandra and the Controller General of the Immigration and Emigration Department Chaminda Pathiraja proved futile.