9 months after goof-up, cops told to update 'wanted' list

MUMBAI: Nine months after the Union government goofed up in its list of '50 most wanted fugitives' that was sent to Pakistan, it has issued a circular to all police stations, crime branches and cells across the country that they must update the list every three months.

The Union home ministry, particularly the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has instructed state police heads to update the CBI, the only nodal agency, regarding changes in red corner or any other notices. The Mumbai Police has in turn issued a circular to all police stations, crime branches and economic offences wings to compile and update lists of most wanted every three months to the CBI through the extradition cell.

Red corner notices, lookout notices, informal requests to countries, letters of rogatory (investigation requests sent by a court to a court in another country), and any other international correspondence should be strictly through the CBI, the order said. "Even in an emergency, if any police station wants to put in an application to some country regarding the extradition of a fugitive gangster, conman or cheat, it should be done through the Mumbai Police's central intelligence unit or extradition cell, a special cell formed to interact with foreign security agencies," the circular said.

The circular further said suspects are often deported or arrested but their names continue to appear on notices. It pointed to last year's blunder in which the CBI had sent a list of 50 most wanted to Pakistan and later it was found that one of the terror accused, Wazhul Kamar Khan, was out on bail in India.

According to the CBI, Khan was in Pakistan even though he was actually with his family in Thane. TOI had reported the CBI's goof-up in May last year. Within a few days, TOI exposed how four more were in the list, including Dawood Ibrahim's brother Noora, who died two years ago. The CBI has now updated its list on its website.