CBI Reveals Interpol Surge: How India Cut Fugitive Tracking Time by 75%

Sharing the input at the inaugural session of the two-day national conference on 'Extradition of Fugitives: Challenges and Strategies', CBI Director Praveen Sood said the agency published 189 Interpol notices, including 79 Red Notices and 110 Blue Notices, in the first nine months of 2025 compared to 52 Red and 44 Blue Notices in 2024.

"To date, Interpol has issued a total of 957 Red Notices against individuals wanted in India," said Sood, adding, "Of these, 231 cases pertain to the CBI, 130 to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), 21 to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), 12 to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and the remaining to various state police forces."

The notices cover a range of crimes, with 199 Red Notices linked to economic offences, 254 to terrorism-related cases, 21 to money laundering, and 55 to narcotics-related crimes. The remainder involve serious crimes such as murder, rape, and extortion.One of the major achievements highlighted by the Director has been the "reduction in processing time for sending proposals to Interpol following the launch of the BharatPol Portal."

"The average time has fallen from 14 months to just three months, and currently, only eight proposals are under process, the oldest being one month old."

Despite these advances, the CBI Director cautioned against complacency. "We cannot take pride in these figures yet," he said.

"Our numbers are still lower compared to other countries, and the real challenge begins only after notices are published. The next task is to trace these fugitives and bring them back to face justice."

He also revealed that 338 extradition requests are still pending with various countries. In comparison, India successfully extradited 29 fugitives in 2023, 30 in 2024, and 35 in the first nine months of 2025, underscoring steady progress in international coordination and enforcement.

Sood further said that India has made significant progress in its efforts to track and bring back wanted fugitives, owing to better coordination among law enforcement agencies and the launch of the BharatPol Portal earlier this year.

Speaking at event, the CBI Chief recalled that during an earlier meeting on national security, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had directed all law enforcement agencies to pool their resources, strengthen extradition efforts, and identify shortcomings in existing mechanisms to build a more effective strategy for the future.

"In line with those directions, this conference has brought together officers from all central and state law enforcement agencies to share their experiences, deliberate on challenges, and identify new strategies for improving our global enforcement coordination," the Director said.

The CBI Director said the journey toward enhanced fugitive tracking began with the launch of the BharatPol Portal by Home Minister Amit Shah in January 2025, which has yielded tangible results in record time.

The CBI Director also said that all participating agencies must now focus on developing advanced skills, coordinated strategies, and inter-agency cooperation to locate and extradite more fugitives effectively.

"The presence and guidance of the Honourable Home Minister at this two-day conference is both a privilege and a source of strength for us. His vision will continue to inspire our efforts in building a stronger, safer, and more accountable India," the Director added.

- ANI