Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 6: In a significant breakthrough against international fugitives, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with Gujarat Police and key Central Ministries, successfully secured the deportation of two high-profile criminals wanted in India for serious offenses including tax evasion, money laundering, and murder.
Harshit Babulal Jain, accused of large-scale tax evasion, illegal gambling, and money laundering, was deported from the United Arab Emirates and formally taken into custody by Gujarat Police at Ahmedabad International Airport on Friday. Jain had been on the run for months before the CBI, acting as India’s National Central Bureau for Interpol, issued a Red Notice for his arrest through Interpol on August 9, 2023, at the request of Gujarat authorities.
Interpol’s Red Notice serves as an international alert to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and detain individuals pending extradition or similar legal action.
According to officials, the CBI coordinated closely with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate Jain’s return. The agency also leveraged its national coordination platform, Bharatpol, to streamline international cooperation through Interpol’s global network.
The CBI highlighted in its statement that over 100 fugitives have been successfully repatriated to India in recent years thanks to such international coordination.
In a separate operation earlier this week, the CBI oversaw the return of another fugitive, Mainpal Dhilla, also known by aliases Sonu Kumar and Mainpal Badli, from Cambodia. A hardened criminal, Dhilla was convicted in multiple cases including murder, attempted murder, use of illegal firearms, and criminal conspiracy.
Dhilla was serving a life sentence handed down in 2013 for a 2007 case registered at Sadar Bahadurgarh Police Station in Haryana. However, during a six-week parole from Hisar Central Jail in 2018, he failed to return and went underground.
The CBI's persistent efforts led to his capture and deportation, marking another milestone in India’s crackdown on absconding criminals hiding abroad.
These coordinated international efforts underline the government’s intensified focus on ensuring that fugitives cannot evade justice by crossing borders.