Decline in number of foreign inmates in the country

Temshinaro Dimapur, Nov. 24 (EMN):  The total number of prisoners for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 as published in earlier editions were 4,19,623, 4,33,003 and 4,50,696 respectively. Out of which, the respective number of prisoners of foreign nationality for the said years were 6,620, 6,370 and 4,917. A decline in foreign prisoners was observed from 1.6% in 2015 to 1.1% in 2017. Out of the 4,917 foreign prisoners for the year 2017, 4,285 were male and 632 female. Among these, 2,227 inmates were convicts; 2,250 were under trial, and 40 were detenues. However, according to the record, 400 foreign national inmates belonging to other categories were lodged in various jails during the end of 2017. Among the north-eastern states, Nagaland reported the lowest number of foreign prisoners with one. Tripura reported the highest number in Northeast with 35 foreign inmates followed by Mizoram with 34, Meghalaya with 30, Manipur with 37, Assam with 20, and Sikkim with four. The highest number of foreign inmates was lodged in West Bengal jails with 2,316 inmates followed by Maharashtra with 460 inmates. No foreign inmates were reported in Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep as of December 31, 2017. Altogether 151 foreign inmates were imprisoned in the region as of December 31, 2017. Out of 151 inmates, 150 belonged to Bangladesh and Myanmar nationality, while one who was a convict lodged in an Assam jail, belonged to Pakistan. A total of 2,250 foreign under-trials were lodged in the country, while a total of 40 foreigner detenues were lodged in the country as of December 31, 2017. Only foreign inmate in Nagaland now a free man The only foreign convict in the state was Nweze Raymond Chinenyeuba, a Nigerian national who was arrested on September 7, 2016 for not possessing a valid visa. Consequently, he was sentenced to simple imprisonment of eight months and 17 days by a chief judicial magistrate for contravention of Foreigners Act, 1946. However, on learning about his extended stay in Dimapur district jail, a series of reports were published in Eastern Mirror drawing the attention of the authorities concerned. Chinenyeuba, who was apprehended from New Field police check gate in Dimapur on September 7, 2016, finally walked out of Dimapur jail as a free man on November 24, 2018—after being confined for two years, two months, and 16 days. Chinenyeuba, the only foreign inmate in Nagaland as of December 31, 2017, was coincidentally freed on this day (November 24) last year, bringing down the number of state’s foreign prisoners to zero. Message from Chinenyeuba Almost a year after being freed, Chinenyeuba has once again thanked everyone who helped him during his ‘predicament’ in Dimapur jail. In a conversation via email with Eastern Mirror, Chinenyeuba thanked, among others, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and advisor to the department of Power, Tovihoto Ayemi, for facilitating his release.