At least 12 Myanmarese nationals were arrested and jailed for illegally crossing the border after the lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, a senior prison officer said on Friday.

Inspector-general of prisons Maria C.T. Zuali told The Telegraph that the foreign nationals, mostly traders, illegally crossed the border after the imposition of partial lockdown by the state government on March 22 and thereafter nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

She said the 12 people were booked under the Foreigner Act 1946 for intruding into the state without valid documents and were sent to a district jail in Champhai near the Myanmar border after completing 14 days of quarantine.

Maria said at least six Arakan Army (AA) militants and a Chinese national are currently incarcerated in Lawngtlai district jail and Central jail in Aizawl respectively. They were arrested last year.

She said the Chinese traveller, who entered the state without a valid document, will be released soon.

Besides, more than 30 Rohingya women are currently detained at Vairengte on the Mizoram-Assam border, according to Maria.

She said the women, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, were arrested by the state police for entering the state without travel documents last year.

Efforts are on to send the women to a corrective home in Saitual before their deportation, she said.

The prison officer told this correspondent that around 327 prisoners were released on parole in the second week of this month.

Of these, 48 convicts who are nearing completion of their imprisonment term were granted remission and 279 others, who were undertrials were released on bail by signing bonds, she said.

The move was taken in accordance with the Supreme Court order to decongest jails in the wake of the outbreak of novel coronavirus, she said.

Although the state government had decided to release 25 people on ground of being sick and old age apart from 327 prisoners, Maria said the process has been delayed due to the severity of the crime committed by the 25 prisoners.

She also said at least 129 people have been arrested on charges of different crimes and were sent to jails after the lockdown was imposed in the state to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.