India brought back 274 fugitives from 36 countries in seven years through technology-driven action: Govt

India has repatriated 274 fugitives from 36 countries between 2019 and July 2026, averaging around 40 returns a year, the government said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said this is a 10-fold increase from the 2004-13 period, when an average of four fugitives were brought back annually.

The government also said assets worth ₹17,874 crore belonging to fugitives have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the same period.

According to the MHA, those brought back since 2019 include nine wanted in financial crimes, 17 in terror cases, 42 in organised crime, 62 in murder, robbery and other violent offences, 53 in sexual offences and crimes against children, 16 in drug trafficking, 12 in smuggling and fake currency cases, 18 in human trafficking cases and 45 in other offences.


The ministry said India's use of Interpol mechanisms has increased sharply. It said 40 Red Notices were issued in 2022, 100 in 2023, 107 in 2024, 112 in 2025 and 182 so far in 2026. Over the past three years, 401 Red Notices have been issued against fugitive criminals.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal action.

The MHA said extradition requests are now prepared in a more professional and standardised manner.

"Under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, extradition requests are now being prepared in a more professional and standardised manner. In addition, written assurances are provided after carefully taking into account the documentary requirements and legal expectations of the requested country," the ministry said.

The ministry said India has adopted an "integrated, intelligence-based, and technology-driven model" to trace and return fugitives.

It contrasted the current approach with the period before 2014, saying India then had extradition treaties with only 37 countries, no dedicated law to deal with fugitive economic offenders and no framework to confiscate their assets. It also said incomplete documentation, slow processing and coordination gaps often delayed or weakened extradition efforts.

The ministry said the Modi government has made extradition a "national priority" and follows a three-pronged strategy of global outreach, strong coordination and diplomacy.

According to the statement, agencies including the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) and state police forces work together on fugitive cases.

The MHA said a Standing Focus Group under the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) of the IB was set up in January 2026 to prioritise fugitive cases, standardise dossiers, bridge information gaps and coordinate with foreign partners.

The ministry also highlighted several measures introduced in recent years, including the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, amendments to the National Investigation Agency Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019, and provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), implemented in 2024, that allow trial in absentia in certain cases involving fugitive accused.

It said India hosted the 90th Interpol General Assembly in 2022, while the CBI launched the BHARATPOL platform in January 2025 to connect more than 1,400 agencies for faster information sharing.

The ministry said the CBI has also established a Special Global Operations Centre and designated Interpol Contact Officers in every state and central investigating agency to improve coordination.

It added that under Operation Trishul, Indian agencies have used satellite inputs, surveillance and digital footprint analysis to geo-locate fugitives. In cases where fugitives changed their names or identities abroad, agencies traced them using profile mapping and advanced technology. The government also said video conferencing has been used to speed up extradition proceedings.

With PTI inputs