Three arrested with 17,400 SIM cards, 400 iPhones & 60 routers in Negombo

Three suspects including a Chinese national have been arrested after STF personnel raided a house at Eththukala in Negombo and discovered various telecommunication equipment including 17,400 SIM cards, over 400 iPhones and 60 internet routers.

Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said that the raid was carried out this morning at Etthukala, Negombo based on information received by the Police Special Task Force (STF) that several suspicious individuals were engaged in illegal activities.

Based on this information, the STF personnel searched the house located at Sylvester Road in Eththukala and discovered 402 mobiles phones (which were all connected to the internet), 17,400 phone SIM cards belonging to various service providers, 60 routers and other telecommunication equipment.

Three suspects have been taken into custody, he said. According to preliminary inquiries, two of them are locals, from Negombo and Kalpitiya, while the other is a Chinese national, who has been staying in the country without a valid visa.

It has also been uncovered that the suspects had engaged in a telecommunication racket, especially when obtaining IDD calls, using these equipment and maintained the operations without a license.

Officers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), officials from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) and Sri Lanka Telecom have been called to the location for further investigations.