New Delhi: Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Thursday informed Rajya Sabha that 8,330 Indians are currently lodged in foreign jails with 1,611 imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates alone.
In a written reply in the Upper House, the Minister said that 1,461 Indian nationals were in prisons in Saudi Arabia followed by 1,222 in Nepal, 696 in Qatar, 446 in Kuwait, 341 in Malaysia, 308 in Pakistan, 294 in the US, 277 in Bahrain, 249 in the UK, 178 in China, 157 in Italy and 139 in Oman.
Indian nationals are jailed in a total of 90 countries, according to the information shared by the Minister.
“The issue of release and repatriation of Indian nationals in foreign prisons is regularly pursued by Indian missions and posts abroad with the local authorities concerned,” he said.
The Minister further said that 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.
As soon as the information about the detention or arrest of an Indian national is received by an Indian mission or post, it immediately gets in touch with the local foreign office and other local authorities concerned to get consular access to ascertain the facts of the case, confirm his or her nationality and ensure his or her welfare, he added.
With inputs from PTI