{
  "id": 196535,
  "title": "American financial intelligence sleuths have cracked USD 2.5 mn Treasury cyber heist here?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/american-financial-intelligence-sleuths-have-cracked-usd-2-5-mn",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-06T00:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/american-financial-intelligence-sleuths-have-cracked-usd-2-5-mn-treasury-cyber-heist-here/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Sri Lankan government has revealed that American financial intelligence agents have traced the origins of a USD 2.5 million cyber heist, involving funds intended for repaying an Australian loan. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala disclosed that US investigators had mapped the movement of the stolen funds and shared the details with Sri Lankan authorities, leading the investigation closer to its culprits. The minister stated during the adjournment debate on the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) report into the cyber theft that the probe would soon identify those responsible. Wijepala revealed that a multi-agency investigation, involving experts from the University of Colombo, SLCERT, and CID, was initiated following the fraud's discovery. The minister dismissed accusations of involvement by the Ministry of Finance or the Central Bank, stating that investigations found no evidence implicating either institution. However, several officials were interdicted for failing to safeguard data, and the government has since enhanced cyber security measures. Wijepala disclosed that 91 statements had been recorded from officials in the Public Debt Management Office and the Central Bank. Sri Lanka had sought international assistance from the US, Australia, UAE, Switzerland, and Zambia, along with INTERPOL, to tackle the cybercrime. The minister also announced an investigation into a USD 11.09 million overseas payment made during the previous administration to an Australian company for importing milch cows, alleging that no cows were delivered despite the payment. He emphasized that the National People’s Power government investigates past crimes as well as current ones.",
  "summary": "By Saman Indrajith The government yesterday disclosed that American financial intelligence investigators had traced the money trail of the US$2.5 million cyber heist, involving funds earmarked for the repayment of an Australian loan, with authorities expressing confidence that the probe was closing in on those responsible. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament that US […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}