More than 50 foreign nationals are currently in jail or detained in Mizoram. (Representational)
At least 12 Myanmarese nationals have been arrested for illegally crossing the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram during the lockdown imposed to break the chain of coronavirus transmission, a senior officer said.
The foreign nationals were booked under ''The Foreigners Act, 1946'' and sent to a district jail in Champhai near Myanmar border after completing 14 days of quarantine protocol, Inspector General of Prisons Maria C T Zuali said on Friday.
"The foreign nationals, mostly traders, entered the state without valid documents after the imposition of partial lockdown by the Mizoram government and thereafter nationwide lockdown," Ms Zuali told PTI.
On March 22, Mizoram had declared a statewide partial lockdown and a nationwide lockdown was announced from March 25.
More than 50 foreign nationals are currently in jail or detained in Mizoram, she said.
At present, over 30 Rohingya women are detained at Vairengte on the Mizoram-Assam border, she said.
The women suspected to be victims of human trafficking were detained by the state police for entering the state without travel documents last year.
Efforts are on to send them to a correctional facility in Saitual before their deportation, she said. Six Arakan Army militants and a Chinese national are also incarcerated in Lawngtlai district jail and Central jail in Aizawl respectively.
The officer said that the state government has released about 327 prisoners, including 48 convicts, from various jails in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
The 48 convicts, who were nearing completion of their imprisonment term were granted remission and 279 others, who were undertrial prisoners, were released on bail after signing bonds, she said.
The move was taken in accordance with a Supreme Court order to decongest jails in the wake of the outbreak of novel coronavirus, she said.
Though the state government had decided to release another 25 people on account of sickness and old age, the officer said that the process has been delayed due to the severity of the crime committed by them.
She also said that at least 129 people have been arrested on charges of different crimes and sent to jails after the imposition of lockdown.