21 Indian citizens have been apprehended in Sri Lanka for unlawfully operating an online marketing center while holding tourist visas, breaching the relaxed visa regulations, according to a report. The individuals, aged between 24 and 25, were detained by the Department of Immigration and Emigration after being found in violation of Sri Lanka’s laws which prohibit any form of employment, paid or unpaid, for those visiting on tourist visas.
Following initial investigations, authorities raided a leased property in Negombo where the individuals were discovered operating the marketing center. The premises had been transformed into an office space equipped with computers and related equipment.
Sri Lanka’s legislation explicitly prohibits individuals on tourist visas from engaging in any form of paid or unpaid labor. The detained Indian nationals had taken advantage of the visa waiver granted by Sri Lanka until March 31 to certain countries as part of a pilot project aimed at boosting tourism in the country, which is facing economic challenges.
These individuals arrived in Sri Lanka between February and March on tourist visas, as disclosed by a senior immigration official. They have since been relocated to the immigration department’s detention facility in Welisara as instructed by the relevant authorities.
Indians in Sri Lanka, Illegal Work, Tourist Visas, Sri Lanka Arrest, Foreign Workers