A group of foreign nationals accused of engaging in financial scams while violating visa regulations has been arrested in separate raids carried out in Colombo and Matara, according to Sri Lanka Police.

In the first incident, officers attached to the Kollupitiya Police Station arrested 74 foreign nationals during a raid conducted on Tuesday evening (6) at a housing complex on Uttarananda Mawatha in Kollupitiya.

The suspects include 41 men and 33 women, all identified as Vietnamese nationals aged between 19 and 39.

Police said the suspects were taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in organised financial fraud activities. Further investigations are being carried out by the Kollupitiya Police.

Meanwhile, the Divisional Crime Detective Bureau in Matara arrested six more foreign nationals, including one woman, during a separate raid conducted at a hotel in the Talalla area of Gandara on Tuesday evening.

According to police, the suspects had allegedly been involved in financial fraud while remaining in the country without valid visas.

Police further stated that the suspects had been conducting business activities while staying in Sri Lanka on tourist visas and were also found in possession of foreign cigarettes.

The suspects have been identified as Chinese and Taiwanese nationals aged between 25 and 40.

Further investigations are being conducted by the Gandara Police.