Sri Lankan devotees heading to Israel on a pilgrimage deported

A group of Sri Lankan devotees who had embarked on a religious pilgrimage to Israel were deported to the country after allegedly breaching emigration laws.

The group which had made tentative arrangements to visit Jerusalem were deported after an intelligence company had provided a tip-off to the Israeli government.

The group were reportedly notified that they were being deported in accordance with the Israeli immigration and emigration laws.

However, Emigration officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport said that they have commenced investigations to determine the main reason behind the deportation since the group had adhered to the necessary regulations while undertaking the pilgrimage.

Forty three devotees out of the 71 people who travelled to Israel reached Sri Lanka at around 6:45 pm yesterday.  Ten others arrived in the country around 3:45 am today (Feb 21).

The remaining members of the group are to be deported this evening.

The group of devotees is reported to have comprised 49 males and four females who are residents of Kuliyapitiya, Wennappuwa, and Mirigama. They have been sent to the CID and the State Intelligence Service for further investigations.