India repatriates 274 fugitives from 36 countries, seizes ₹17,874 cr assets
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced that 274 fugitive criminals were brought back from 36 countries between 2019 and 2026. The returnees include terrorists, gangsters, financial and narcotics offenders, and individuals wanted for murder, rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
During the same period assets worth ₹17,874 crore were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and ₹18,762 crore were recovered in related restitution cases. The government issued a total of 401 Interpol Red Corner Notices from 2022 through 2026 to facilitate the extraditions.
Legal reforms underpinning the drive include the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (2018), amendments to the National Investigation Agency Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019, and new provisions in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita that allow trials in absentia (Sections 355 and 356). In January 2025 the BHARATPOL platform was launched, linking over 1,400 central and state law‑enforcement units with Interpol to speed information sharing.
A highlighted case is the deportation of Vishakha Rathod, accused of large‑scale financial fraud, from the United Arab Emirates to Pune in early August 2026, illustrating the expanded international cooperation behind the broader repatriation effort.
Entities: Amit Shah · BHARATPOL · India · Ministry of Home Affairs · Ministry of Home Affairs (India) · Narendra Modi · Operation Trishul · Vishakha Rathod
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Assets worth ₹17,874 crore were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act between 2019 and 2026. (MHA data)
- [● 4 SOURCES] India repatriated 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries between 2019 and 2026. (MHA data cited in multiple articles)
- [● 2 SOURCES] India issued a total of 401 Interpol Red Corner Notices between 2022 and 2026 to facilitate extraditions. (MHA data)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Vishakha Rathod, accused of large‑scale financial fraud, was deported from the United Arab Emirates to India in August 2026. (CBI statement)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The returned fugitives include terrorists, gangsters, financial and narcotics offenders, and persons wanted for murder, rape and POCSO offences. (MHA description)
- [● 3 SOURCES] ₹18,762 crore were recovered in restitution cases involving fugitive economic offenders during the same period. (MHA data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The BHARATPOL platform was launched in January 2025, connecting over 1,400 central and state law‑enforcement units with Interpol. (MHA release)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sections 355 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita permit trials in absentia for fugitives. (MHA description of new criminal laws)