Three Chinese nationals have been arrested by Customs officers at Bandaranaike International Airport for allegedly smuggling 87 mobile phones and 140 batteries valued at approximately Rs. 5.14 million, Ada Derana reported.
The suspects — a 34-year-old woman and two men aged 35 — were intercepted on Monday evening (19) while attempting to exit through the airport’s “Green Channel” after arriving at 6.43 p.m. on China Eastern Airlines flight MU-6017 from Shanghai.
Customs officers became suspicious after one of the men passed through the Green Channel carrying a black polythene bag bearing duty-free packaging. An initial inspection turned up a concealed stock of mobile phones hidden among chocolates and confectionery items.
A more detailed search recovered additional devices hidden in specially designed clothing worn under a jacket, inside socks and shoes, and within a travel bag carried by another suspect. In total, 87 phones and 140 batteries were recovered, and the entire consignment was seized.
All three suspects were taken into custody and the goods handed over for further inquiry. Authorities are investigating whether the devices were intended for resale, distribution to organised cybercrime cells, or other illicit use.
The arrest follows a 16 April detention of nine Chinese nationals at BIA in a parallel cybercrime-suspect operation, and a batch of 84 phones intercepted earlier in the same enforcement cycle. Customs has flagged smuggled mobile devices as a recurring component of overseas-linked cyberscam syndicates operating partly out of Sri Lanka, with 49 Chinese and Malaysian nationals arrested in Colpetty earlier this month on related visa-violation grounds.
Source: Ada Derana.
