COLOMBO, April 16 -- Nine Chinese nationals were arrested at Sri Lanka's main international airport on Thursday (16) while attempting to smuggle in communication equipment allegedly intended for cyberscam operations, Customs authorities said.

The arrests come two weeks after police detained 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, for allegedly running a cyberscam operation out of a hotel in the island's north-west.

Following those arrests, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said it was working closely with the local authorities to prevent its nationals from carrying out scamming operations in the country.

The latest airport incident saw Sri Lankan officers recover 383 used mobile phones, 101 tablet computers, six Wi-Fi routers and Global Po...