New Delhi: India’s law enforcement agencies achieved a decade-high success in tracking fugitives abroad, locating 71 wanted persons — the highest in over ten years — during 2024-25, according to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions’ annual report.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which serves as India’s national central bureau for Interpol, played a crucial role through its Global Operations Centre. By geo-locating suspects and issuing notices, CBI coordinated with foreign agencies, the ministries of home and external affairs for extraditions. Of the 71 fugitives – wanted for crimes ranging from economic offenses to murders – 27 were successfully brought back to face justice in India.
The report highlights vigorous execution of Lookout Circulars (LCs) and Red Corner Notices. During April 2024 to March 2025, 47 Legal Requests (LRs) were fully executed abroad, with 29 partially closed. However, 533 LRs remained pending as of March 31, 2025 – 276 from CBI cases and 257 from state police. On the other hand, as many as 203 fugitives sought by other nations were also detected within India, underscoring bilateral reciprocity.
The CBI processed over 22,200 citizenship renunciation applications, while uploading data on 1,91,031 stolen/lost Indian passports to Interpol’s SLTD database, aiding 30 detections globally.
Amid President Trump’s US administration stress on extraditions, key returns included high-profile economic offenders from UAE, Canada, and the UK. Officials credit this to digital tools and diplomatic pacts, challenges continue to persist with pending cases in non-extradition nations like Pakistan.
The milestone bolsters India’s global anti-fugitive drive, signaling zero tolerance for cross-border evasion as assembly polls loom.
