NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the investigative and intelligence agencies to ensure time-bound extradition of Indian fugitives from abroad and instructed them to jointly put in place a standard operating procedure (SOP) for preparing dossiers on those involved in terror activities and narcotics and arms smuggling.
During two separate meets - ‘National Security Strategies Conference-2025’ organised by the Intelligence Bureau and ‘National Conference of the Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTF) of states and Union Territories’ organised by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Home Minister is learnt to have issued the direction to agencies, particularly the CBI to coordinate.
In his inaugural address to the conference in July this year, Shah had stressed enhancing inter-agency coordination, particularly between central and state law enforcement wings, besides recalibrating the approach towards disrupting domestic nodes of the terror-criminal nexus.
A senior security official, who attended the meeting, said that Shah suggested that the CBI should hold a workshop with the IB, NIA, other central agencies, state police and legal experts to formulate an SOP for preparing dossiers on Indian criminals, who have left the country after committing crimes relating to terrorism, narcotics and arms smuggling and ensure their early return through appropriate legal and diplomatic channels in a time-bound manner.
According to data released by the CBI so far the agency succeeded in facilitating the return of 137 fugitives from different countries in the last five years, which is almost double in number repatriated over the entire decade between 2010 and 2019.
The Minister also impressed upon the agencies to prepare dossiers within a month and that every state police force, along with central agencies, should earmark dedicated teams of officers and expert advocates to make continuous efforts to bring back fugitives, the official said.
“With Bharatpol, international police collaboration has become more seamless. This portal enables easy drafting of Red Corner Notice requests and other colour-coded notices for Interpol. It is helping in the effective tracking of crime, criminals, and proceeds of crime globally,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the anti-drug meet held earlier this week, Shah stressed on the need for a joint mechanism of the NCB and CBI to bring back foreign criminals and fugitives involved in drug trafficking.
Speaking at the event, Shah also highlighted the importance of deporting and extraditing fugitives and said that “the time has come to bring those operating drug trades from abroad under the ambit of Indian law.”