Indian agencies have successfully deported 51 ‘hardened criminals’ to India in the last eight months. According to MHA data, a total of 274 fugitives involved in terrorism, financial fraud, and other serious crimes have been brought back since 2019.
Indian agencies have secured the deportation of 51 “hardened criminals” to India over the past eight months, including six this month, as part of a coordinated effort to bring fugitives involved in serious crimes back to the country to face legal action, data mentions.
Of the 51 criminals, data collated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) mentioned, a total of 45 fugitives were brought back this year till July, while six were deported from August 1 to August 18.
Tracking Fugitives: A Statistical Overview
The data further mentions that India has brought back 274 fugitives from 36 countries between 2019 and 2026, and the individuals include those wanted in terrorism cases, gangsters, financial offenders, narcotics accused, and those wanted in cases of murder, rape, and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Of the 274 fugitives brought back to India between 2019 and July 2026, the MHA data mentions that a total of 70 fugitives– the highest till now– were brought back to India in 2025, 43 in 2024, 37 in 2023, 40 in 2022, 23 in 2021, seven in 2020, and nine fugitives in 2019.
All these fugitive criminals were wanted in offences of fraud, financial crimes, terrorist activity, anti-national activity, narco terror, organized crime, gangsters, extortion, murder, robbery, violent crime, sexual offences, rape, POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), narcotics, NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances), drug trafficking, smuggling, fake currency, cyber, contraband, human trafficking and kidnapping among other crimes.
Among these 274 fugitives, 62 fugitives were wanted in cases linked to murder, robbery and violent crime; 53 for offences of sexual offences, rape and POCSO; 45 involved in other criminal activities; 42 for their role in organized crime, gangsters and extortion activities; 18 for their offences of human trafficking and kidnapping; 17 for their role in terrorist activity, anti-national activity and narco terror; 16 for offences of narcotics, NDPS and drug trafficking; 12 for their engagement in smuggling, fake currency, cyber and contraband; and nine fugitive criminals for offences of fraud and financial crimes.
Major Successes in Recent Months
In the latest such action, the agencies got three hardened gangsters, namely Jaspreet Singh alias Jass Behbal alias Gora, Ajay Singh alias Ajay Malaysia and Pawandeep Singh, extradited from Malaysia on August 18 and jailed them in India. These fugitives were handed over to the Punjab Police soon after their deportation to India.
The Bambiha Gang Connection
Officials said the three gangsters are closely associated with extortion-related activities at the behest of the infamous Bambiha Gang, including cross-border arms and narco-trafficking, apart from terror operations for anti-national groups. Jaspreet Singh is a prime conduit of the Bambiha Gang, and he was continuously in touch with the kingpins of the syndicate such as Lucky Patiyal, Mann Ghanashyampuria and Doni Bal. Closely linked to criminal entities in Canada, one of the officials said, Jaspreet Singh also planned a grenade attack in October 2025 at a marketplace in Ludhiana, which was foiled by the Punjab Police.
A case was registered against him at Jodhewal Police Station in Ludhiana. Multiple criminal cases are registered against these three fugitives under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Narcotics drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in Punjab and Rajasthan.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Office announced a post on X, mentioning “our agencies have facilitated the deportation of 51 hardened criminals in 2026 alone.” The deportation of the three gangsters to India was secured through sustained coordination with the Malaysian authorities by Indian agencies.
NCB’s Crackdown on Narcotics Fugitives
Earlier this month, India’s Wanted fugitive Virender Singh Basoya was taken into custody upon his arrival at IGI Airport in the national capital on August 14 morning after his return from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was a “key overseas operative” and alleged conspirator who coordinated activities of the syndicate from abroad and facilitated the export of Mephedrone consignments from India to other countries.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)– India’s apex federal law enforcement and intelligence agency tasked with fighting drug trafficking and illegal substance abuse under the NDPS Act, 1985– had secured the return of Basoya alias Viru to India almost two months after he was arrested in the UAE in June 2026 pursuant to an INTERPOL Red Notice published at the request of the agency.
As per the the MHA, bringing back fugitives to India to face legal consequences of their crimes is in furtherance of the Vision Document on Drug Control (2026-2029), unveiled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah as part of this roadmap, sustained efforts are underway to identify, locate and bring back other important narcotics fugitives operating from abroad through coordinated action with other national and international agencies.
Besides, the earlier successful return of other wanted drug traffickers, including Mohammad Salim Dola from Turkiye and Navin Chichkar from Malaysia. Notorious global drug kingpin Dola, 59, was deported from Turkiye in April this year under ‘Operation Global-Hunt,’ marking a major breakthrough in dismantling transnational narcotics syndicates with links to fugitive syndicates.
Dola, who had links with the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate, was detained by Turkish agencies in Beylikduzu and deported to India on April 28, 2026. The NCB took him into custody on his arrival at Delhi’s IGI airport.
Strengthening the Legal and Operational Framework
The MHA earlier mentioned that the assets worth Rs 17,874 crore belonging to the fugitive criminals have also been attached in the same period between 2019 and 2026 through the stringent enforcement of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Out of this, Rs 18,762 crore has been returned in cases involving Fugitive Economic Offenders– the economic offenders who fled India, it said, adding a “total of 40 Red Corner Notices were issued in 2022, 100 in 2023, 107 in 2024, 112 in 2025, and 182 have already been issued in 2026 so far.”
Over the past three years, the MHA also said that Red Corner Notices have been issued against 401 fugitive criminals. To strengthen action against fugitives, PM Modi enacted the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act in 2018. Under the guidance of Home Minister Shah, India has developed an integrated, intelligence-based, and technology-driven model against fugitives, paving the way for stricter measures against them and facilitating their return to India.
‘Operation Trishul’ and Technological Leverage
To strengthen efforts to trace fugitive offenders, the ministry said Operation Trishul was launched to geo-locate absconding criminals. Under this initiative, with the support of Interpol, the locations of concealed fugitives were established using satellite inputs, surveillance, and digital footprint analysis. Many fugitives had changed their names or identities while residing abroad. However, through the use of advanced technology and profile mapping, Indian agencies were able to identify and trace them.
Technology has also been leveraged to expedite extradition proceedings, including the use of video conferencing for court hearings, thereby helping to accelerate the legal process. The extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana from the United States stands as a significant example of India’s resolve and its sustained legal and diplomatic efforts in pursuing complex terror cases.
A ‘Whole-of-Government’ Coordinated Approach
In matters related to Jammu and Kashmir, fugitives operating from abroad had been used to sustain terrorism, narco-terrorism, and cross-border support networks. MHA has said the success achieved in bringing fugitive offenders back to India is not the result of chance, but of credibility, thorough legal preparation, sustained diplomatic persistence, and continuous follow-up.
“At the domestic level, this effort has been driven by close coordination among the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI), and State Police forces. This reflects a true “Whole-of-Government” approach, in which Central and State agencies work in close coordination to ensure the return of fugitive offenders and deliver speedy justice to victims.”
The constitution of a Standing Focus Group under the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in January 2026 marks a significant institutional step in strengthening India’s fugitive management framework, it said, adding “The Group is responsible for prioritising fugitive cases, standardising dossiers, bridging information gaps, ensuring sustained follow-up with foreign partners, and providing national-level support to cases initiated by State agencies.”
“Fugitives operating from abroad are not dormant case files–they represent live operational threats that require sustained, coordinated, and proactive action,” it added. (ANI)
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