Maldives and Sri Lanka to cooperate over regional cyber crime concerns

Maldivian and Sri Lankan authorities are looking to establish a collaborative mechanism with which to try and combat cyber crime committed across the South Asia region, according to local media reports.

Haveeru yesterday quoted an unnamed senior Sri Lankan police official as claiming that the country’s law enforcement agencies were looking to work with counterparts in the Maldives to investigate cyber crimes such as online financial scams that have defrauded internet users around the world.

According to the report, several Maldivian nationals working from Sri Lanka are suspected of having involvement in organised cyber crime as part of a larger regional network of criminals.

In attempts to try and combat multinational networks such as these, plans are reportedly under-way to send Sri Lankan police to the Maldives as part of a joint investigation into prominent cyber crime groups.

According to Haveeru, Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz has already held several meetings with his Sri Lankan counterparts over the extent of the Maldives’ work in combating hacking, online financial scams and identity theft in the country.