Sixteen Chinese nationals have been arrested for allegedly engaging in an illegal online pyramid scheme while overstaying and violating visa conditions, the Kurunduwatta Police said.

The suspects were apprehended during a raid carried out at a residence on Jaffna Road, Don Carolis Mawatha, Colombo 05, where they had reportedly taken temporary accommodation several days earlier.

The operation was conducted by officers of the Kurunduwatta Police Crime Investigation Unit following information received by Officer-in-Charge Chief Inspector H.H. Sujeewa Kumara, who suspected that the group was involved in unlawful activities. The raid was led by Police Inspector Wickramaratne and a team of officers.

Police said 23 laptop computers, 11 mobile phones, seven routers, nine voice translation devices, and 3,280 foreign cigarettes were taken into custody along with the suspects. The cigarettes were allegedly imported without paying the required duties.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspects had allegedly been operating an online pyramid scheme by contacting individuals in foreign countries and deceiving them for financial gain while residing in Sri Lanka.

Further investigations are underway.