BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has decided to set up a specialised extradition cell to bring back fugitives wanted by law enforcement agencies in the country.
The cell will be established in the CID-Crime Branch in Cuttack, a notification issued by the Home department said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked the state government in November to form the extradition cell, which will be responsible for tracking, apprehending and repatriating fugitives hiding in foreign countries.
Such cells act as the nodal link between the state police, CBI, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Interpol, and gather local evidence before forwarding complete proposals to the central authorities.
The cell will function under the direct supervision of an IG-rank officer of CID-CB, who is also designated as the Interpol liaison officer for effective coordination with national and international law enforcement agencies. The unit will comprise the Crime Branch SP and one DSP-rank officer each from the Cyber Cell, Crimes against Women and Children Wing (CAW&CW), Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Special Task Force (STF).
The cell will prepare, scrutinise and vet all extradition and provisional arrest requests at the state level, ensure completion of legal documentation as per treaty requirements and international norms, furnish clarifications to foreign judicial authorities, and liaise with the MHA, MEA and Interpol through the CBI.
It will also be mandated to prepare counters to defence documents during international hearings and assist investigating officers in drafting replies, clarifications and counter-affidavits during extradition proceedings abroad.
Formal extradition from foreign territories is governed by the Indian Extradition Act and bilateral treaties established by the Centre. CIDs in the states work in direct coordination with the MEA, which acts as the central authority for all cross-border extradition matters.
