A total of 406 inmates who were booked for minor offences, were released from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj and Rajshahi jails on Sunday.
Dhaka Jail Superintendent Iqbal Ahmed said 385 prisoners were freed following the instruction of the Home Ministry due to coronavirus pandemic.
The authorities are planning to free approximately 3000 inmates to curb the risks of coronavirus transmission in crowded prisons.
Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Prisons Col Abrar Hossain confirmed the matter to media.
Earlier, the Home Ministry decided to release around 2,884 prisoners across the country who were serving jail terms from six months to one year and three to six months to avoid the risk of coronavirus transmission, he said.
Another 555 inmates were freed on April 25 in the first phase, he added.
The 68 jails in the country house around 89,000 inmates, which is more than their capacity, Ahmed said.
To ease the pressure, Rajshahi Central Jail also released 21 prisoners as the government has commuted the sentence of 33 inmates, said Jail Superintendent Gias Uddin.
The rest will be released soon after they pay their fines, he said.
Rajshahi jail is currently accommodating 3,610 inmates while it has the capacity of only 1,450 inmates, he added.
