Three Swedish nationals, including two women, were detained in Assam on Wednesday for violating tourist visa rules. They are likely to be deported on Thursday, officials said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police of Namrup, Naba Kumar Borah, said the three tourists from Sweden were “picked up” from a religious prayer meeting in Ghinai (Naharkatia) in Dibrugarh district.

“When we were trying to register a suo-moto case, the Swedish Embassy requested the Indian authorities to pardon them as they attended the prayer meeting by mistake. The three Swedish nationals also apologised for their unintentional participation in the religious gathering,” Borah told IANS over phone.

The DSP said that the police have not arrested them and they would be handed over to the Swedish Embassy in Delhi on Thursday before being sent back to their own country.

The three-day prayer meeting was organised by the United Church Forum, a body of around 12 different churches, with due permission from the district administration.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)