The Interpol has issued its first-ever Silver notice following a request from India to trace the global assets of Shubham Shokeen, a former Personnel Visas and Local Law Officer at the French Embassy in Delhi, wanted in a visa fraud case, officials confirmed.
The Silver notice, launched by Interpol in January this year, is part of a pilot initiative aimed at tracking illicit assets across borders. India is among 51 participating nations in this trial phase, during which each country can request up to nine notices. The first Silver notice was issued at Italy’s request.
Interpol’s colour-coded notices serve distinct purposes—Red for arrest, Blue for intelligence gathering, Yellow for missing persons, and now Silver for locating and identifying assets linked to criminal activity. The CBI, Interpol’s nodal agency in India, stated that such notices can help trace properties, vehicles, financial accounts, and businesses acquired through proceeds of crime.
India’s first request was made on May 23 against Shokeen, who, between September 2019 and May 2022, allegedly accepted bribes of ₹15 to ₹45 lakh per applicant to facilitate Schengen visas, using the illicit funds to purchase six properties worth over ₹15.73 crore in Dubai. A Blue notice had already been issued earlier to determine his location.
A second Silver notice was issued on May 26 against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal, accused by the Enforcement Directorate of launching a fake cryptocurrency, MTC. Lakhanpal allegedly raised ₹113.10 crore from investors without regulatory approval, later misappropriating the funds while impersonating a Ministry of Finance official.
The CBI said the Silver notice would allow member states to exchange information, potentially leading to asset seizure or recovery through bilateral cooperation. Notices have also been requested by Indian agencies such as the ED and Narcotics Control Bureau in other ongoing cases.
