137 Indian nationals arrested in Sri Lanka for cybercrime operations: Police
Colombo, Jun 28: As many as 137 Indian nationals who were allegedly involved in a large-scale online financial scam across multiple locations in Sri Lanka have been arrested by police, according to a media report on Friday.
They were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and the western coastal town of Negombo, said Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror newspaper.
He said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) conducted simultaneous raids in these areas, leading to the seizure of 158 mobile phones, 16 laptops, and 60 desktop computers.
In Negombo, 55 suspects were detained along with 55 mobile phones and 29 laptops.
Similarly, in Kochchikade, authorities apprehended 53 individuals and confiscated 31 laptops and 58 mobile phones.
The operation in Madiwela led to the arrest of 13 suspects and recovery of eight laptops and 38 mobile phones, while in Thalangama, 16 suspects were taken into custody with eight laptops and 38 mobile phones.
The SSP said that all the arrested suspects were males.
The crackdown follows a complaint from a victim who was lured into a WhatsApp group promising cash for social media interactions.
Further investigation revealed a scheme where victims were coerced into making deposits after initial payments. In Peradeniya, a father-son duo admitted to aiding the fraudsters, the newspaper reported.
Key evidence uncovered during a luxury house raid in Negombo led to the initial arrest of 13 suspects and the seizure of 57 phones and computers.
Subsequent operations in Negombo yielded 19 additional arrests, exposing international links in Dubai and Afghanistan. Victims included both locals and foreigners, the report added.
It is suspected that they were involved in financial fraud, illegal betting and various activities of gambling.
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Ban meat, liquor consumption in holy towns along Narmada, MP CM tells officials
Bhopal (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has asked officials to ensure meat and liquor are not consumed in and around religious towns located along the Narmada river, considered the lifeline of the state.
There are 21 districts, 68 tehsils, 1138 villages and 1126 ghats as well as 430 ancient Shiva temples and two 'shakti peeths' along the banks of the river.
Chairing a meeting of officials on Friday, Yadav also said Amarkantak in Anuppur district, from where the Narmada originates, must be given top priority for environmental protection.
"It must be ensured that meat and liquor are not consumed in and around the religious towns and places located on the banks of Narmada River. Future settlements, land should be identified away from the Narmada river's origin and a satellite city should be developed. Sewage should not be released into the Narmada. Work on it must be done within a time limit," Yadav said.
Latest technologies should be used for solid waste management, while satellite imagery and drone systems must be deployed for monitoring of activities along the river in order to enhance environmental protection, he said.
Asserting that all mining activities by machines must be banned, Yadav pointed out Narmada is the only river in the world whose 'parikrama' (circumambulation) is done by devotees.
In order to make it a major religious and tourism activity, work should be done in a phased manner to develop a 'parikrama path' for the convenience of devotees, he added.
"Activities for infrastructure development should be started through local panchayats and committees by marking places on the Parikrama Path. Self-help groups and local youth should be encouraged to develop homestays with arrangement of food etc for people undertaking parikrama of the river," Yadav said.
Of the river's 1312 kilometres, a dominant 1,079 km is in Madhya Pradesh.
