Interpol has issued a Red Notice against fugitive Rishabh Baisoya, wanted in connection with the massive Rs 13,000-crore cocaine seizure unearthed by Delhi Police’s Special Cell.
In a major breakthrough in one of India’s biggest narcotics crackdowns, Interpol has issued a Red Notice against fugitive Rishabh Baisoya, wanted in connection with the massive Rs 13,000-crore cocaine seizure unearthed by Delhi Police’s Special Cell. The notice has triggered worldwide manhunt, with international law enforcement agencies joining forces to hunt down the absconding suspect.
According to sources, the Special Cell has also moved a request for a ‘trial in absentia’ against Rishabh, believed to be hiding in the Middle East. The fugitive had earlier been declared an absconder and proclaimed offender by an Indian court.
A Red Notice, issued by Interpol, serves as a global request to track and detain a suspect pending extradition. While not an international arrest warrant, it enables agencies worldwide to restrict travel, freeze assets, and facilitate extradition proceedings for serious crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, and corruption.
As per the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), a trial in absentia allows proceedings to continue and judgment to be delivered even without the accused’s presence, provided they have been declared a proclaimed offender and have deliberately absconded to evade trial. “This is permissible only after a 90-day waiting period following the framing of charges,” an investigating officer explained.
Who is Rishabh Baisoya?
Rishabh is the son of alleged international drug kingpin Virender Singh Baisoya, alias Veeru, the supposed mastermind of a transnational cocaine syndicate. Investigators claim Rishabh played a key role in transporting and concealing contraband, directly aiding cartel operations.
His involvement came to light after police discovered that on October 1, 2024, Rishabh had provided a Toyota Fortuner SUV to co-accused Jatinder Singh Gill alias Jassi for ferrying drugs. “The search of this SUV, intercepted in Nepal village in Ajnala, Punjab, led the police to seize around 1kg of cocaine/mephedrone on Oct 5. Rishabh and Jatinder were captured on CCTV footage at Hudco Place and at a hotel in Panchsheel Enclave area of Delhi, confirming his active association with the co-accused,” stated a document submitted to the court.
“The accused is evading his arrest and prosecution in a large haul of recovery of the NDPS case in which a chargesheet has also been filed…” the document further noted.
Investigations by the Special Cell have uncovered a vast, sophisticated drug distribution network, allegedly run through pharmaceutical fronts and shell companies. The cocaine originally trafficked from South America was sold across major Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, and Punjab.
The cartel reportedly used encrypted communication and Google coordinates to mark pickup spots for consignments, which were then hidden inside cardboard boxes labeled with shirts or namkeen packets to evade detection.
Officials said the network’s operations spanned Pakistan, Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, making it one of the most sprawling narcotics enterprises ever exposed. The Special Cell has already issued letters rogatory to several countries seeking global cooperation to dismantle the syndicate.