4,926 foreign-origin prisoners lodged in Indian jails

New Delhi: A total of 4,926 prisoners of foreign origin are lodged in Indian jails currently, of whom 1,140 have been convicted and 3,467 are facing trial in different stages, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.

Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra also said of the 3,467 undertrial foreign-origin prisoners, the maximum of 1,630 are from Bangladesh, followed by 615 from Nigeria, 463 from Nepal, 152 from Myanmar, 114 from African countries (other than Nigeria) and 107 from Pakistan.

There are 14 prisoners each from China and Canada, he added.

"There are a total of 4,926 foreign prisoners in India, of which 1,140 have been convicted and 3,467 are facing trial," the minister said.

Separately, in a written reply to a question, he said of these prisoners, the maximum of 1,295 are lodged in jails in West Bengal 400 in Delhi, 380 in Maharashtra, 290 in Uttar Pradesh, 155 in Karnataka and 119 in Himachal Pradesh.

Mishra also informed the House that the government has spent a total of Rs 2,018.48 crore on the foreign-origin prisoners, including Rs 1,004.98 crore on food, during the financial year 2020-21.

He said most of these prisoners are in jails in connection with cases concerning narcotics and passport and visa violations.