A total of 10,152 Indian nationals are currently incarcerated abroad in 86 countries, the Ministry of External Affairs told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Tuesday.

In 12 of these countries, over 100 Indians are in jail, said the ministry in a report on the conditions and welfare of non-resident Indians, persons of Indian Origin, the Overseas Citizenship of India cardholders and migrant workers. The report also discussed the status of the Emigration Bill.

Tabled in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the report showed that the highest number (2,633 of Indians, including undertrials, were incarcerated in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (2,518).

Other Gulf countries, including Bahrain (181), Kuwait (387) and Qatar (611) also had a significant number of Indians in jails.

In addition, 1,317 Indians were imprisoned in Nepal and 338 in Malaysia. At least 173 Indians were jailed in China, the data stated.

The ministry said that nine of these 12 countries were covered under existing agreements on Transfer of Sentenced Persons, which allows a person convicted of a crime to be transferred to his or her home country to serve their prison sentence.

However, only eight prisoners could be brought back to serve their sentences in India between 2023 and March 2025. Of these, three came from Iran and the United Kingdom each, and two from Cambodia and Russia.

On a question about the steps taken by the Union government for the release of these prisoners, the ministry told the parliamentary standing committee that Indian missions and posts abroad were regularly pursuing the matter with the local authorities concerned.

“Apart from extending all possible consular assistance to Indians imprisoned abroad, Indian Missions and Posts also assist in providing legal aid wherever needed,” the ministry said. “Missions and Posts also maintain a local panel of lawyers where Indian community is in sizeable numbers.”

The ministry also told the parliamentary standing committee that no fee was charged from any Indian prisoner for extending facilities by the concerned Indian embassy.

“Consent of the prisoner, host country and transferring country are required for transfer under TSP [Transfer of Sentenced Persons] agreement,” it said.

The report added that the Ministry of Home Affairs was the nodal authority in overseeing the transfer of prisoners under the agreement and was currently processing several cases.