The Teldeniya Magistrate’s Court has ordered that the equipment seized from Chinese nationals involved in cybercrimes in Sri Lanka be handed over to an authorised official of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo.
Teldeniya Magistrate Devika Chathurangani Jayawardena issued the order yesterday, instructing that all equipment, including mobile phones and computers that had been in the custody of the Court, be handed over to the Chinese Embassy official.
Presenting a motion to the court, officials from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had requested the court to issue the said order.
Following the court order, the Chinese suspects were moved to the Welisara Detention Centre yesterday, after which they are to be deported from Sri Lanka.
A total of 130 Chinese suspects, including 108 Chinese men and 22 Chinese women, were arrested while staying at a star hotel in Kundasale, Kandy and were produced before the Teldeniya Magistrates’ Court.
Thereafter, the Teldeniya Court had seized 206 mobile phones, 121 laptops and other computer equipment in their possession.
However, yesterday, Teldeniya Magistrate Devika Chathurangani Jayawardena ordered that all of these devices be handed over to a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo through officers of the CID.
Meanwhile, seven of these Chinese suspects had evaded the Teldeniya Court on three occasions, due to which the court had issued arrest warrants for them.
The remaining 122 Chinese national suspects were handed over to the Welisara Detention Centre yesterday following an extradition order by the Teldeniya Court.
It is reported that the group, excluding the seven suspects who have evaded court, will be deported from Sri Lanka in the coming days.
It is reported that 85 of the Chinese suspects were deported from Sri Lanka this morning.
According to media reports, the group had been taken to the Katunayake Airport in 05 buses and were deported to Guangzhou, China on a special Sri Lankan Airlines flight this morning. (Newswire)