The Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Welikada Police has been arrested over the alleged illegal possession of passports belonging to 19 Chinese nationals, police said.
The officer had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs. 300,000 from each individual in exchange for releasing the passports — a total alleged extortion of Rs. 5.7 million, according to police. Ada Derana reported that the Chinese nationals were being held as suspects.
The suspect was arrested in Veyangoda by officers of the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), police said.
The arrest of a serving station OIC is a notable escalation in the scrutiny of police conduct, with an enforcement unit detaining a senior uniformed officer over the alleged misuse of his position against foreign detainees in his custody.
It also intersects with the wider crackdown on foreign nationals linked to cyber-scam and immigration offences. Authorities have detained large numbers of foreigners in recent weeks, including nearly 700 arrested in immigration and cybercrime operations and 37 Chinese nationals over an online scam in Thalangama, amid warnings that regional cyber-scam syndicates have been shifting operations to Sri Lanka.
