2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 4, 2026 03:11 PM IST
India has brought back 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries since 2021, marking a sharp escalation in extradition and deportation efforts, the Centre said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Centre has made the return of fugitives a national priority, combining legal reforms, international cooperation, intelligence coordination and technology-driven tracking to pursue offenders wanted in terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, cyber fraud, financial offences and serious crimes such as murder, rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, said the Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson.
Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly described fugitive offenders as a challenge linked not only to law and order, but also to India’s sovereignty, economic stability and national security, the spokesperson said in a statement.
“Before 2014, India’s extradition framework was marked by outdated procedures, limited treaty coverage and weak inter-agency coordination. India then had extradition treaties with only 37 countries, while around 110 extradition requests were pending. Between 2004 and 2013, India secured the extradition of only about four fugitives a year on average,” the spokesperson said.
The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, enacted in 2018, was among the first major steps to address this gap. “The law allowed authorities to proceed against economic offenders who had fled the country and to attach and confiscate their assets. The Centre also enforced the Prevention of Money Laundering Act more rigorously, leading to the attachment of assets worth Rs 17,874 crore belonging to fugitive criminals between 2019 and 2026,” the spokesperson said.
“The number of Interpol Red Corner Notices issued by India has also risen sharply. India issued 40 such notices in 2022; 100 in 2023; 107 in 2024; 112 in 2025; and 182 so far in 2026. Over the past three years, Red Corner Notices have been issued against 401 fugitive criminals,” the spokesperson said.