137 Indians arrested in SL for cybercrime operations
Colombo, June 28: As many as 137 Indian nationals who were allegedly involved in a large-scale online financial scam across multiple locations in Sri Lanka have been arrested by police, according to a media report on Friday. They were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and the western coastal town of Negombo, said Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror newspaper. He said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) conducted simultaneous raids in these areas, leading to the seizure of 158 mobile phones, 16 laptops, and 60 desktop computers. In Negombo, 55 suspects were detained along with 55 mobile phones and 29 laptops. Similarly, in Kochchikade, authorities apprehended 53 individuals and confiscated 31 laptops and 58 mobile phones. The operation in Madiwela led to the arrest of 13 suspects and recovery of eight laptops and 38 mobile phones, while in Thalangama, 16 suspects were taken into custody with eight laptops and 38 mobile phones. The SSP said that all the arrested suspects were males. The crackdown follows a complaint from a victim who was lured into a WhatsApp group promising cash for social media interactions. (PTI)
Iranians vote to replace president killed in helicopter crash
Dubai, June 28: Iranians were voting Friday in a snap election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. Voters face a choice between hard-line candidates and a little-known politician who belongs to Iran’s reformist movement that seeks to change its Shiite theocracy from within. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from the ballot while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognised monitors. The voting comes as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region – such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels – are engaged in the fighting and have escalated their attacks. Meanwhile, Iran continues to enrich uranium at near weapons-grade levels. (AP)