Thirty-seven Chinese nationals, including a woman, have been arrested and remanded on suspicion of engaging in online financial scams in Sri Lanka.

The arrests were made during a joint operation conducted by the Walana Central Anti-Vice Task Force and the Anti-Vice Unit of Thalangama Police.

During the raid on a rented house in the Koswatta area of Thalangama, police officers seized a total of 35 desktop computers, 37 tablets, 147 mobile phones, 100 SIM cards and 2,100 sticks of foreign cigarettes.

It is reported that the police have taken steps to seal the house along with all these devices.

Initial investigations have revealed that the arrested 37 Chinese nationals had arrived in the country on three-month tourist visas and had engaged in these activities illegally.

Further investigations have been initiated to determine whether these suspects were involved in illegal financial scams via the internet, were acting as hackers, or were they involved in other online crimes.

It is also stated that the computers and mobile phones found in the sealed house for the relevant investigations have been handed over to the Computer Crimes Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Meanwhile, the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court ordered the 37 arrested Chinese nationals to be remanded until May 07.