Two Malaysians pay to experience a jail stay

sangareddy — Two Malaysian tourists have come all the way from their country to spend two days in a “jail” here to experience the prison environment.

Ng Inn Wo, a dentist by profession, and his friend Ong Boon Tek, owner of a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, are spending their weekend at the Heritage Jail Museum here in Telangana.

The Department of Prisons and Correctional Services started ‘Feel the jail programme’ at the 220-year-old district prison which has been converted into a jail museum.

The programme was started in September 2016 and till now 47 people have spent time behind bars to get a feel of the prison ambiance. Any person or tourist can stay in foreign tourists to come and spend time at the Heritage Jail Museum in Telangana the jail by paying Rs500 per day (24 hours).

However, this is for the first time that foreigners have opted to take part in the programme, said Santosh Rai, Superintendent of Sangareddy jail.

After completing the required formalities, Ng Wo and Ong Tek were given prisoner uniforms, blankets, plates and tumblers and put inside the jail, he said.

They entered the jail at 9.30am on Saturday and will come out around the same time on Monday, Rai said.

Ng Wo, visiting India for first time, said he got to know about the programme from a website and decided to take part in it along with his businessman-friend.

The old district jail is spread over three acres of land and has nine barracks.

After construction of a new jail building near Kandi village on the outskirts of Sangareddy town, the Nizam-era structure was converted into a heritage jail museum. — PTI