A total of 6,569 Indian nationals are currently lodged in prisons of 67 foreign countries, including 254 in Pakistan, according to information accessed by a Kerala-based RTI activist from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Arab countries topped the list with Saudi Arabia (1691), Kuwait (1161) and UAE (1012), according to the information provided by the MEA on April 22 to lawyer and RTI activist D B Binu.

Italy, which had a diplomatic row with India over the arrest and trial of two of the country's marines for shooting dead two Indian fishermen from a ship off the Kerala coast, has 121 Indians in prisons in that country.

The list also showed that UK has 426, USA 155, China 157, Bangladesh 62, Afghanistan 28, Bahrain 18 and Nepal 377 Indian prisoners.

Indians are also detained in jails in various other countries, including Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Belgium and France.