 "Arrested Indians took advantage of free tourism visas offered by Sri Lanka. PTI File")
Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration and Emigration nabbed 21 Indians after they were found working illegally while on tourist visas.
As per the Daily Mirror newspaper, the Indians were found operating an illegal online marketplace in Negombo, violating the island nation’s tourist visa norms.
The arrested Indian nationals were transferred to the Immigration Department’s detention center in Welisara on the orders of relevant authorities, Controller General Harsha Illukpitiya was quoted as saying.
As per a preliminary investigation, the Immigration Department raided a rented house, where the arrested men, said to be aged under 25, had converted the accommodation into an office space with computers and other devices installed.
The men took advantage of the cash-strapped nation’s relaxed visa conditions, under which it is offering free-of-cost visas till March 31 to a select number of countries under an ongoing pilot project.
The visa conditions aim to revive the country’s fledgling tourism industry and extend to six other countries namely Russia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.
However, under Sri Lanka’s law, those who visit the country on tourist visas are prohibited from engaging in any kind of paid or unpaid work, as per an official.
The men had arrived in Sri Lanka in February and March on tourist visas, the senior immigration officer was quoted by the newspaper.