April 13, Colombo (LNW): Authorities have turned to international support as investigations intensify into a sophisticated financial scam involving more than 13 billion rupees, allegedly carried out through unauthorised access to the digital systems of the National Development Bank (NDB).
Law enforcement officials confirmed that assistance has been sought from Interpol, with a specialised team of cybercrime analysts—particularly those experienced in tracking virtual currency transactions—expected to arrive in the country shortly.
The request for collaboration was initiated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and formally submitted to Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon.
Investigators believe the fraud may have involved a coordinated effort exploiting internal system vulnerabilities, with digital assets potentially used to obscure the movement of funds. So far, four individuals have been taken into custody and remain on remand pending further inquiries. Among those detained are a senior employee attached to the bank’s payments division and a close relative, raising suspicions of insider involvement.
Despite the scale of the breach, the bank has reassured customers that their personal accounts remain secure and unaffected. Operations continue without disruption, according to officials, who insist that safeguards have contained the impact of the incident.
In a separate statement, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) noted that the institution’s financial health remains stable, with capital and liquidity levels comfortably exceeding regulatory thresholds.
