Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a two-day national conference titled “Extradition of Fugitives – Challenges and Strategies” in New Delhi on October 16.
The conference, organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), aims to chart a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen India’s efforts in bringing back fugitives wanted for crimes including narco-terrorism, cybercrime, organised crime, and economic offences.
Senior officers from central and state police agencies, along with representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will participate in deliberations focused on improving international police cooperation and expediting extradition processes.
The agenda includes discussions on using formal and informal international channels, adopting advanced technologies to track fugitives, analysing their financial footprints, and developing effective strategies for extradition. A special focus will be on coordinated responses to cases involving narcotics, terrorism, cybercrimes, organised criminal networks, and economic offenders.
The conference comes at a time when India has over 300 pending extradition requests with various countries. Delays in these cases have often allowed fugitives to exploit legal loopholes abroad. Officials are expected to explore ways to overcome such challenges and accelerate the return of wanted criminals.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is stepping into a “new era of international investigations,” according to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Earlier this year, Amit Shah had called for a more coordinated approach among law enforcement agencies to ensure fugitives face justice in India.
The conference also builds on the launch of BHARATPOL – a digital platform developed by CBI that connects district police units, state police forces, central law enforcement agencies and CBI on a single integrated platform. The portal enables seamless information sharing, strengthening operational coordination across agencies.