An illegal communication center in the Ratmalana high-security zone

Police have raided an illegal television and radio transmission center operating under the guise of a travel agency in Attidiya, a high-security zone located near Ratmalana International Airport. During this raid, conducted jointly by the Mount Lavinia Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, officers succeeded in arresting a fifty-five-year-old Maldivian national who operated the center, and another suspect.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspects downloaded television channels using satellite technology, utilizing data from a private telecommunication service provider. Subsequently, a racket was secretly operated at this location to illegally re-distribute these television and radio services to Sri Lanka as well as internationally, based on consumer demand. Police confirm that the main suspect, a Maldivian national residing in Kalubowila, orchestrated all these activities.

During this search, conducted based on a search warrant obtained from the Mount Lavinia Magistrate's Court, a stock of communication equipment worth nearly fifty million rupees was taken into police custody. It is reported that among these items were an approximately eight-foot-tall satellite equipment rack, ten used satellite receivers and four unused receivers, five large satellite dishes, sixteen empty satellite boxes, three computers, a Starlink unit, and a large television set.

Due to the operation of this illegal center in a high-security zone near the airport and its management by foreign nationals, special attention has been drawn to whether it poses a threat to national security. Accordingly, to investigate whether they have any connections with a terrorist organization, including ISIS, a special police team led by Chief Police Inspector Nilantha Gamage, the OIC of the Mount Lavinia Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau, has commenced a comprehensive investigation.