The North Western Province Computer Crimes Investigation Unit has arrested a 62-year-old woman in connection with an organised scam in which a victim was deceived into sharing nude video recordings and then threatened with their public release online.
Police said the suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday following investigations into the incident. The victim, fearing exposure, had transferred Rs. 100,000 to the suspect’s bank account before lodging a complaint with the Computer Crimes Division.
The suspect was scheduled to be produced before the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The arrest is the first specific provincial enforcement action linked to a wave of nude-video extortion cases that prompted SLCERT to issue a public warning earlier this month about WhatsApp-based video-call blackmail schemes targeting Sri Lankan victims. SLCERT had described an organised pattern in which fraudsters lure victims into video calls, secretly record them, and then demand payment to suppress the footage.
Investigators said the modus operandi in the Kurunegala case fits that template, with the suspect allegedly part of a wider network. Police have urged anyone who has received similar threats to contact the Computer Crimes Division rather than make payments, since compliance typically triggers escalating demands.
