New Delhi
The Government of India has made a big disclosure in the Lok Sabha, stating that a total of 10,574 Indian citizens are closed in jails around the world. Many of these have been convicted, some are waiting for the trial and there are some who have completed their sentence but have not been released yet. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh gave this information through a written answer in Parliament. According to him, some Indian citizens have also been sentenced to death sentence abroad.
Which countries most Indian prisoners?
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the most Indian citizens are lodged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) jails- a total of 2,773. This is followed by 2,379 in Saudi Arabia, 795 in Qatar, 1,357 in Nepal and 342 in Kuwait.
There are currently 10,574 Indian citizens imprisoned in different jails of the world. 43 of these people have been sentenced to death. This information has been given in Parliament on Friday.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the highest number of Indian prisoners, where currently 2,773 Indian citizens are behind bars.
How many prisoners are there in which countries?
This is followed by 2,379 prisoners in Saudi Arabia and 1,357 in Nepal. Other countries in which the number of Indian prisoners is quite well included 795 in Qatar, 380 in Malaysia, 342 in Kuwait, 323 in United Kingdom, 261 in Bahrain, 246 in Pakistan, 183 in China and 183.
Many countries have only one Indian prisoner, including Angola, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Iraq, Jamaica, Mauritius, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tajikistan and Yemen.
Saudi has the highest number of prisoners to get death sentence
Talk about the prisoners who are suffering from death penalty, the highest number of Indians are in the United Arab Emirates. It is followed by Saudi Arabia (7), China (4), Indonesia (3) and Kuwait (2). In the US, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Yemen, each Indian has been sentenced to death sentence.
Which countries have been punished for hanging Indians?
The Ministry of External Affairs said that 43 Indian citizens have been sentenced to death in 11 countries around the world. The maximum number of 21 Indians are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while 7 in Saudi Arabia, 4 in China, and 3 Indians in Indonesia have been punished. In addition, 2 Indian citizens in Kuwait, and one Indian citizen in Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, America, and Yemen are being hanged. Many of these cases are currently in court, and Indian embassy is making every effort to provide legal assistance to these prisoners. The ministry also revealed that no Indian prisoner was hanged in UAE between 2020 and 2024, but three Indians were hanged in February 2025 this year, including a nurse from Uttar Pradesh and a person from Kerala.
Who are these prisoners?
Among these prisoners, people guilty of crime, people waiting for the trial are also people who have completed their sentence but for some reason they have not been released. The government has also admitted that there are some prisoners in whose case the legal process abroad is long or their passports and documents are incomplete.
What is the government doing?
The Government of India said that the safety, honor and release of Indian citizens abroad is included in its priority. As soon as the arrest of an Indian citizen is reported to the Indian embassy abroad, the mission contacts the officials concerned and demands an immediate reach.
What does the embassy do to help Indians lodged in foreign jails?
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said that the Indian embassy takes several important steps to help Indian citizens lodged in foreign jails. First, they meet the Indian arrested through consular access, confirm their identity, and find out their case status. In addition, the embassies provide legal assistance through local lawyers if needed. Using the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), the prisoners are given financial assistance like legal help, travel documents, or tickets for return. The embassy also helps in the extradition process after completing the punishment so that the prisoners can return to India. Also, they appeal to foreign governments for a exemption in common apology or punishment. The Government of India has done prisoner extradition treaties with several countries, under which Indian citizens can serve their punishment in India.
Case of release of Tamil Nadu fishermen
In one part of the question asked in the Lok Sabha, information was also revealed that till 15 July 2025, 28 Indian fishermen were in Sri Lanka’s custody, of which 27 are from Tamil Nadu and 1 from Puducherry. The Government of India has raised the issue of fishermen withdrawal in several rounds with Sri Lanka. In a meeting with the Sri Lankan President on 5 April 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also appealed to solve the issue on humanitarian grounds. Apart from this, the issue is also raised in regular fisheries Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings between India and Sri Lanka. The last meeting was held on 29 October 2024. Embassy officials go to Sri Lankan jails and get information about the status of Indian fishermen and provide them legal assistance.
Help gets helpless
As soon as an arrest of an Indian citizen is reported abroad, the Indian embassy immediately contacts the local Foreign Ministry and the concerned agencies and seeks consular assistance. Its aim is to meet the arrested person, understand the allegations and situation against them, to arrange a lawyer if needed, and if the person agrees, then inform his family. All this assistance is given without any fee. The Government of India has made it clear that Indian missions and embassies abroad do not charge any Indian citizen for these services. Economic and other assistance is provided to the needy Indians through the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF).
