Sri Lanka Deports 85 Chinese Nationals in Major Cybercrime Crackdown

To put a stop to transnational criminal activities, a major crackdown has taken place in Sri Lanka. Eighty-five Chinese nationals who have been convicted of different offences, including cybercrimes, have been deported. Under strict vigilance, the deportation has taken place, making this one of the most significant operations in recent times.

One of the sources at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) has confirmed that all the deported criminals had been serving jail terms and were held at the Immigration Department’s Detention Centre in Welisara before being deported.

These 85 criminals were escorted under high security and were taken in five buses to the airport, where they were sent back to China on a special charter flight.
More than 250 police personnel were involved in the smooth and secure transfer of the 85 Chinese criminals. Officials stated, “The deportation was conducted in full compliance with judicial orders and immigration protocols. The high-profile operation is being seen as a strong message against cybercrime and other organised offences involving foreign nationals operating within Sri Lankan territory.”

This isn’t the first time that Chinese nationals have been deported due to cybercrime. In April 2024, Cambodia had deported 700 Chinese in a cyber-scam crackdown. This was part of a transnational anti-scam effort. These Chinese nationals were engaged in online gambling and scam enterprises, primarily in Sihanoukville.

Another such anti-cyber-scam operation took place in February this year in Myanmar’s militia, where the Karen Border Guard Force disclosed a plan to deport approximately 10,000 individuals who had been found involved in cyber-fraud operations from Myanmar’s border areas into Thailand.