The Central Bureau of Investigation is preparing to host a landmark strategy conference next week that will bring together central and state agencies to discuss how India can improve its pursuit of fugitives abroad. The focus will be on increasing the number of Interpol red notices, strengthening coordination to track offenders on foreign soil, and substantially raising extradition figures, which officials admit remain very low.
Senior representatives from multiple agencies, including the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Customs, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Financial Intelligence Unit, National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, state police forces, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of External Affairs, are expected to attend. According to officials, one of the key topics will be the formation of specialised teams to locate and extradite different categories of fugitives such as terrorists, gangsters, drug traffickers and economic offenders.
The two-day event will be held on October 16 and 17 at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the conference, which will also be attended by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Home Secretary Govind Mohan. Police liaison officers from various international agencies posted in India will also take part.
There will be eight sessions in total, with two focused entirely on the extradition process. These will include discussions on preparing strong extradition requests, maintaining consistent communication with prosecutors abroad, ensuring timely responses to legal queries, and improving informal engagement with foreign law enforcement bodies.
“The Union home minister first emphasised in July the need to recalibrate India’s approach towards bringing back fugitives from foreign countries, which requires more coordinated efforts from all the stakeholders and better international cooperation. Hence, the CBI is organising this first-of-its-kind strategy conference, where all agencies will discuss ways to multiply the extraditions, develop a joint approach to locate fugitives and use Interpol tools like red notice through proper channels,” a government officer said on condition of anonymity.
Government figures indicate that between 2019 and 2024, India made 178 formal extradition requests but succeeded in bringing back only 23 fugitives. In total, 134 individuals have returned over the last five years, though most came through deportation rather than extradition, a process that depends more on diplomatic coordination. Nearly 30 fugitives have been returned to India this year alone through both routes. India currently has extradition treaties with 48 nations.
“The number is still very low. A large number of white collar criminals like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi; high-profile gangsters like Goldy Brar, Happy Passia, and drug smugglers based abroad have eluded the extraditions so far,” said a second officer.
He added, “We will discuss the creation of dedicated teams for different categories of fugitives – terrorists, gangsters, drug smugglers and economic offenders – for a focused approach to coordinate with agencies in respective countries and send foolproof requests in consultation with the CBI and MEA.”
The officer further emphasised the Ministry of External Affairs’ role in these efforts. “The conference will highlight the need for MEA to be more proactive while handling extraditions,” he said.
Another session will examine how state and Union Territory police can leverage the CBI’s Bharatpol platform to file a larger number of Interpol red notices. Officials believe this will make it harder for fugitives to move freely in countries where they are hiding.
“Currently, we send around 200 requests to Interpol every year for issuing red notices while a smaller country like South Korea sends approximately ten times this number. The states/UTs need to be encouraged to use the international cooperation route with the help of CBI,” said the first officer.
The conference will also take up the subject of conducting “trial in absentia” for fugitives whose extradition may take several years. This provision was recently introduced under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which has replaced the Criminal Procedure Code.
