The suspects were expelled for violating the terms of their tourist visas and fined around $250 each.

"They were arrested by police in October over allegations that they were carrying out online scams targeting international banks," a senior immigration official who asked for anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media without permission, told AFP.

He said the group, including 13 women, was flown to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on a chartered SriLankan Airlines flight on Friday morning accompanied by Sri Lankan police and Chinese security escorts.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan police said a court in the central Kandy district ordered the electronic devices seized from the group to be handed to Chinese authorities.

Those deported were among around 230 Chinese men and women detained in October on cybercrime allegations, with the remainder awaiting legal proceedings.

The Chinese embassy said at the time that Beijing's crackdown on cybercriminals at home may have pushed some to go abroad.

Last year, police arrested another 200 suspects, mainly Indians, who were also accused of operating online financial scams.