24 June 2020 12:00 am
By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya
Three Nigerian men and a Ugandan woman were arrested in connection with an international credit card scam operated through social media websites and seized 15 credit cards that were in their possession, the STF said.
They said the suspects were arrested at a hotel in Mount Lavinia on a tip-off received by the intelligence unit.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the three Nigerians had been staying in the country since 2017 by overstaying their visas and had been arrested on an earlier occasion in connection with the violation of their visa conditions and were on bail. Investigations also revealed that the bank accounts used by the suspects for the transactions were registered under the names of Sri Lankans. Police said the racket had been operated with the assistance of some Sri Lankans.
The suspects were handed over to the CID for further investigations. STF personnel led by Chief Inspector Nadeeka Silva carried out the raid on the instructions of the STF Commandant.