Over 70 Indian fugitives traced abroad in 2024–25, 27 brought back: Govt report
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Jan 24, 2026: More than 70 fugitives wanted by India were traced abroad during 2024–25, according to an official report.
At the same time, 203 fugitives wanted by foreign countries were detected or located within India during the period.
The annual report of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions for 2024–25 said that a total of 71 persons wanted by Indian agencies were located overseas during the year—the highest such figure recorded in over a decade, officials said.
The report added that 27 fugitives or wanted persons were brought back to India from abroad in the last financial year.
The document also outlined the functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which serves as India’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, Indian agencies sent 74 Letters Rogatory (LRs) to foreign authorities. Of these, 54 related to CBI cases, while 20 were issued by state police and other central agencies. Letters Rogatory are formal judicial requests seeking international cooperation in criminal investigations.
During the same period, 47 LRs were fully executed, while 29 were closed or withdrawn after partial execution, Indian law enforcement agencies, including the CBI, confirmed.
As of March 31, 2025, a total of 533 LRs were pending with foreign countries—276 linked to CBI cases and 257 to state police and other central agencies.
The report said 32 LRs or treaty-based requests were received from other countries seeking India’s assistance in criminal investigations.
Throughout the year, the NCB-India issued various Interpol notices for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve sentences in India. These included 126 Red Notices, 89 Blue Notices, 24 Yellow Notices, seven Black Notices and one Green Notice.
The CBI, through its Global Operations Centre (GOC), geo-locates wanted criminals and fugitives in coordination with foreign law enforcement agencies using Interpol channels and notices. Once the location of a fugitive is confirmed, the CBI coordinates with the concerned foreign agencies, Interpol national central bureaux, and the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs to facilitate their return to India.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, the CBI’s Interpol Coordination Unit (IPCU) processed and provided comments on more than 22,200 applications for renunciation of Indian citizenship.
The report also highlighted data from Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database. As of March 31, 2025, details of 1,91,031 stolen, lost or revoked Indian passports had been uploaded to the database. During the same period, 30 cases involving the use of such Indian passports were detected and reported by other Interpol national central bureaux.