Twenty-nine criminals were brought back to India last year and 19 so far this year with the help of Interpol and global law enforcement partners. (AP)
Neeraj Chauhan
6 Sept 2024
In 2023, Interpol issued 100 Red Notices at India's request, aiding in the return of 48 criminals, as CBI emphasizes global law enforcement cooperation.
Interpol issued 100 Red Notices on India’s request in 2023, the highest in a year, urging police forces across the globe to detain criminals and fugitives who have crossed borders and are wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Praveen Sood said on Thursday.
Twenty-nine criminals were brought back to India last year and 19 so far this year with the help of Interpol and global law enforcement partners, he added.
Sood also said that CBI handled over 17,000 international assistance requests during the same period.
The CBI director was addressing the 10th Interpol Liaison Officers (ILO’s) Conference, organised by the federal agency, in Delhi when he made the statements.
“.... Global Operation Centre of CBI has handled 17,368 international assistance requests in 2023 and as many as 100 Red Notices were issued by Interpol on criminals and fugitives wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies, the highest ever in a year,” Sood said.
An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
“With Interpol and international law enforcement partners, as many as 29 wanted criminals were brought back to India in 2023 and 19 so far in 2024. Criminals are no longer constrained by borders, and neither should our efforts to combat them,” Sood said.
The event was attended by representatives of global law enforcement agencies such as BKA (Germany), FBI (USA), National Police Agency (Japan), National Crime Agency (UK), PDI (Chile), Nepal Police and officers of all central and state investigation and intelligence agencies. The conference is held to enhance the use of formal and informal means of international police cooperation to combat crime, criminals and proceeds of crime.
Speaking about the challenges facing global agencies, Sood said: “The world today faces a multitude of grave and globalised poly-crimes and threats like terrorism, online radicalisation, cyber enabled financial crimes, online child sexual exploitation, corruption, drug trafficking, terror financing and organised crime.
Police in India have been at the forefront of addressing these challenges through a combination of robust legal framework, innovative initiatives, leveraging technology and proactive international cooperation.”
He added: “Law enforcement professionals need to be well acquainted with various means of coordinating international assistance in criminal matters.”