8,189 Indian prisoners lodged in foreign jails: MEA

As many as 8,189 Indian prisoners, including undertrials, are lodged in various jails around the world, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia has the highest 1811 Indian prisoners, followed by the UAE with 1,392 and Nepal 1,160 jail inmates, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

"As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indian prisoners in foreign jails as of May 31 is 8,189 which also includes undertrials," he said.

"However, due to strong privacy laws prevailing in many countries, the local authorities do not share information on prisoners unless the person concerned consents to the disclosure of such information," he said.

Muraleedharan said even the countries which share data do not generally provide detailed information about the foreigners imprisoned.

The Union Minister said the government through its missions and posts abroad also takes up and pursues grant of amnesty and commutation of sentences of Indian prisoners in foreign countries.

"From 2016 till present, in the countries in the Gulf region a total of 3,087 Indian nationals have received amnesty or commutation of their sentences," he said.