Sri Lankan investigators say the killing of a Chinese national allegedly linked to an international cybercrime network was orchestrated by a criminal syndicate following a dispute over the distribution of illicit proceeds. Authorities have arrested two suspects, imposed travel bans on others, and launched a joint investigation as the Chinese Embassy calls for a swift and impartial inquiry.
Sri Lankan authorities have launched a major criminal investigation following the alleged abduction and killing of a Chinese national believed by investigators to have been a senior figure in an international cybercrime network.
According to investigators, the victim, identified as Hao Pon, was allegedly abducted from Colombo Port City before being taken to a remote forest in Karandana, Eheliyagoda, where he was tied hand and foot, subjected to severe torture and killed. His body was subsequently concealed beneath a pile of rocks in the forest, investigators said.
Authorities allege that the motive for the killing stemmed from a serious dispute over the distribution of millions of rupees allegedly earned through international cybercriminal activities. Investigators believe the murder was organised by an international cybercrime syndicate operating across national borders.
Police say the victim was allegedly lured into a trap by two Chinese nationals posing as his friends. According to the investigation, the pair invited Hao Pon to Colombo Port City, where he was fishing on a bridge. While he was there, an organised group of Chinese nationals allegedly abducted him by force before transporting him to the forest in the Karandana area of Eheliyagoda.
Investigators allege that after arriving at the remote location, the victim’s hands and feet were tightly bound before he was brutally tortured, attacked with sharp weapons and killed. The suspects are then alleged to have hidden the body beneath rocks before fleeing the scene.
The crime came to light the following day when police officers conducting a narcotics operation in the Karandana area noticed what appeared to be a human hand protruding from a pile of rocks. Further examination led officers to recover the body, which investigators subsequently identified as that of Hao Pon.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) and the Eheliyagoda Police. Authorities describe the inquiry as extensive, reflecting the alleged involvement of an organised international criminal group.
Police believe approximately 20 Chinese nationals were involved in the crime. Two members of the alleged organised group have already been arrested, while efforts are continuing to locate and apprehend the remaining suspects. Investigators are also searching for the two Chinese nationals who were reportedly with the victim on the Port City bridge immediately before the alleged abduction.
To prevent suspects from leaving Sri Lanka while the investigation continues, police have obtained travel bans against the remaining Chinese nationals believed to be connected to the case.
The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has also become involved following the incident. In a statement, the embassy called for a prompt, thorough and accurate investigation into the killing. It further urged Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that the investigation is conducted in a manner that does not subject innocent Chinese nationals in the country to harassment.
The case has drawn attention because of investigators’ allegations that the victim occupied a senior position within an international cybercrime network and that the killing was linked to an internal dispute over illicit financial gains. Those claims remain part of the ongoing police investigation.
As inquiries continue, Sri Lankan authorities are focusing on identifying all those allegedly involved in the operation, tracing the circumstances surrounding the abduction from Colombo Port City and determining the full extent of the organised criminal network that investigators believe was responsible for the killing. The investigation remains ongoing.
