Now, foreigners in Maharashtra jails can make video calls to their families

The video call facility, however, will not be available to Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals, along with those facing terorrism charges, reads the order.

Meanwhile, the prison authorities said that Indian nationals lodged in these prisons have already been using the ‘E-prison’ system for making calls to their family members and lawyers. Now, the same facility has been made available to the foreign nationals in prisons.

As on May 31, 2023, there are as many as 637 foreign nationals — 523 men and 114 women — from 44 countries lodged in different jails across Maharashtra. Of them, 605 foreigners — 494 men and 111 women — are undertrials in different offences, while 32 — 29 men and three women — are convicts.

As per information shared by the prison authorities, the maximum number of foreigners lodged in these jails are from Bangladesh, followed by Nigeria and Nepal.

A total of 200 Bangladeshi nationals — 154 men and 46 women — are lodged in different jails across the state, of whom 189 are undertrials and 11 convicts.

There are 197 Nigerian nationals — 187 men and 10 women; including 195 undertrials and two convicts lodged in different prisons across the state. Also, there are 103 Nepali nationals — 95 men and eight women, including 93 undertrials and 10 convicts.

Records show that prisons in Maharashtra have 12 Pakistani nationals, all men, including 10 undertrials and two convicts.