A total of 6,511 prisoners have been transferred successfully to the newly-constructed Keraniganj jail, on the outskirts of capital, from Dhaka central jail.

All the prisoners will be moved to the new jail by today, Zahangir Kabir, senior jail superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, told The Daily Star this evening.

The transfer began from 6:30am this morning and ended around 9:35pm under tight security measures – that included the deployment of paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). 25 prison vans were used.

Prisoners from Dhaka Central Jail are being shifted to newly-built central jail in Keraniganj amid additional security on Friday, July 29, 2016. Photo: Prabir Das

Earlier on April 10, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the new Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj. The new central jail has been built on 194.41 acres of land at cost of Tk406 crore.

Of the 4,000 accommodation capacity in the new central jail, 100 seats have been arranged for male adolescents, 30 for mentally-challenged male prisoners, 200 for woman inmates, 40 for female adolescent prisoners, 20 for female mentally-challenged prisoners.

Besides, 60 classified wards and 400 cells have also been constructed for dangerous prisoners.

A 200-bed hospital and a daycare centre have also been set up on the new jail premises at Rajendrapur under South Keraniganj, adjacent to Dhaka-Mawa Highway.