SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Home Affairs | Central Bureau of Investigation
India’s fight against fugitive offenders has entered a new phase with the creation of a Global Operation Centre (GOC) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a national conference on “Extradition of Fugitives: Challenges and Strategies” in New Delhi (16 October 2025), the GOC is designed to coordinate real-time intelligence-sharing and operations with law-enforcement agencies worldwide.
The centre’s mission is to strengthen India’s ability to locate, pursue, and extradite fugitives involved in economic offences, cybercrime, terrorism, and organised crime. Between January and September 2025, over 190 Red Corner Notices were issued—the highest ever in CBI’s history. The GOC works in tandem with Interpol, BHARATPOL, and state police networks to ensure fugitives face Indian courts under new criminal-law provisions.
Shah linked the initiative to India’s broader rule-of-law and national-security strategy, asserting that “India cannot be secure until those abroad who harm its economy and sovereignty fear its justice system.” He called on all states to establish Expert Special Cells to prepare extradition dossiers and to develop special prisons for extradited offenders. The Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) provision for Trial in Absentia now allows courts to proceed even when fugitives remain overseas, significantly improving India’s legal reach.
The Minister highlighted results under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (2018)—with nearly USD 2 billion recovered in four years—and the PMLA, under which USD 12 billion in assets have been attached since 2014. Together with GOC operations, these measures aim to make India’s extradition architecture faster, data-driven, and internationally credible.
The GOC institutionalises India’s cross-border justice infrastructure, integrating diplomacy, intelligence, and legal reform. It marks a shift from ad-hoc extradition to continuous global tracking, creating a deterrent ecosystem against economic and security fugitives.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can the Global Operation Centre expand its data-sharing, treaty-negotiation, and forensic capabilities to become a permanent inter-agency platform for international criminal cooperation?
Follow the full news here: CBI Press Release (16 Oct 2025)