Foreigners linked to growing number of offences in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has recorded a rise in traffic accidents, minor offences, and violent crimes involving foreign nationals in the first ten months of 2025.

Between January 1 and October 31, the Tourist Police reported 70 vehicle accidents involving foreigners, resulting in five deaths, five serious injuries, 53 minor injuries, and seven cases of property damage.

A total of 234 foreign nationals were arrested during the period for a range of offences.

Immigration violations topped the list with 79 cases, including overstays, visa violations, fake visas, working on tourist visas, and attempts to travel abroad with counterfeit passports.

Other offences included drug possession (37), suspicious behaviour, possession of illegal cigarettes, drunk driving, assault, causing accidents, prostitution, and minor infractions such as unauthorised drone use and selling alcohol without a licence.

Violent crimes involving foreign nationals numbered 107 cases, including theft (59), robbery (13), housebreaking (12), rape (4), cheating (7), serious sexual abuse (2), human trafficking (1), taking property by force (7), and mischief (2).

Eleven violent crimes were specifically linked to nationals from India, Bangladesh, and China, including theft, rape, mischief, cheating, and human trafficking.

Authorities also reported 185 minor offences, ranging from sexual assault, theft, and assault, to cheating, trespassing, mischief, and disorderly behaviour.

Offenders hailed from countries including the UK, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, China, Russia, and Spain.

Tourist Police stressed that the spike in incidents poses challenges for visitor safety and law enforcement, calling for stricter compliance with immigration and local laws, improved monitoring, and sustained public awareness campaigns.