Twenty-five people, including three gem businessmen, have been arrested by the Walana Central Anti-Corruption Unit during a raid on a large-scale illegal gem mining operation in Horana.
The operation targeted the Kobawaka Watta area along the Kalu Ganga estuary, where unauthorised mining was reportedly being carried out.
Officers also seized gem mining equipment valued at more than Rs. 70 million during the raid, including 11 boats and five motors allegedly used in the illegal activity.
Gem mining in Sri Lanka is regulated by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority, which issues licences specifying where and how mining may be carried out. Unlicensed river and estuary mining has long been a concern for authorities because of the damage it causes to riverbanks and waterways, and the Kalu Ganga basin — which runs through the gem-rich Ratnapura and Kalutara districts — has been a recurring focus of enforcement operations.
Further details of the arrests, including whether the suspects have been produced before court, were not immediately available.
