152 foreigners, including 148 Indians, have been languishing in Bangladesh jails even after completing their sentences, according to a prison official on Monday, citing prison statistics published six months ago.
The official, who chose to remain anonymous, said the identification process and bureacratic or diplomatic inaction delayed the freedom of the prisoners. The prison official said a large number of the Indians were arrested on charges related to illegal cross-border entry.
Bdnews24.com reported on Monday that 17 Indians remained in the southwestern Shariatpur District Jail alone. As per reports, they could not be released as their identities remained unverified and repeated attempts to contact the Indian embassy did not lead to a response.
Jailer Papiya Sultana told the outlet that the police had detained 20 people at different times near the Padma Bridge, who were later sent to prison on court orders. She said that although they completed their sentences, they were still in jail with the status of “release prisoners” or RP due to the incomplete verification and repatriation process.
“Among them, Indian nationals, identified as Satyendra Kumar and Babul Singh, died in jail on February 2, 2024, while another inmate, known only as Rajan, died on May 29, 2025,” said Sultana.
Prison officials said the bodies of the inmates were kept in the morgue of Shariatpur Sadar Hospital for a long period and after legal formalities, two bodies were cremated locally in January 2025, while the third was cremated in December. They also reported that some inmates were refusing to eat properly, raising concerns regarding their health.
Shariatpur District Bar Association General Secretary Mridha Nazrul Kabir urged coordinated efforts by the foreign and law ministries so that the inmates could go back to their families and homeland.
Prison officials in Dhaka also said that apart from India, inmates awaiting repatriation include those from Pakistan, Myanmar, and Nigeria.
