New Delhi, Oct 16 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said a ruthless approach must be adopted towards economic offenders, cyber criminals, those involved in terror activities and all other fugitives to ensure they are brought before the Indian justice system. Addressing a conference on 'Extradition of Fugitives - Challenges and Strategies', organised by the CBI here, Shah also asked all states to set up at least one prison cell of international standards in their respective state to counter plea of poor standards of jails given by fugitives in foreign courts. He said a zero tolerance approach must be adopted not only against corruption, crime and terrorism, but also against those criminals who are operating from outside India.

Efforts must be made to bring all fugitives within the ambit of the law and to establish a definite mechanism for this, he said. "Whether they are economic offenders, cyber criminals, those involved in terrorist activities or part of organised crime networks, a ruthless approach must be adopted against every fugitive to ensure they are brought before the Indian justice system. The time has come for this," he said. The home minister asserted that the Narendra Modi government has undertaken foolproof measures to ensure that no offender escapes the wrath of law. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, a strong India is moving forward to ensure not only security of its borders but also strengthening rule of law," he said.

Shah said no matter how swift the tactics of crime and criminals, the reach of justice must be even swifter. Referring to the new criminal laws, which came into effect from July 2024, the home minister said provision has been made for the first time since Independence for trial in absentia. "If a person is declared a fugitive, the court can still conduct the trial proceedings in his absence by appointing a lawyer for his defence. Once he is convicted as a fugitive, this brings about a very significant change in his status under the international laws. We will be able to bring any fugitive, wherever they may be, to face the law in the country," he said.

The home minister said after Modi became the prime minister, the government has adopted several mechanism, including enacting a law in 2018 -- The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act -- to empower the government to confiscate the properties of fugitives. "Within almost four years, we have recovered approximately USD two billion dollars, which is a very significant achievement. We will have to maintain even more momentum in it going forward," he said. He said the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has also been made more robust and strong and properties worth approximately USD 12 billion have been seized between 2014 and 2023.

Shah said since the CBI is the designated agency for extradition, every state should establish an unit, with the help of the agency, to create a mechanism for bringing back fugitives who have fled from the respective state. He said the CBI has established a special Global Operations Centre to catch fugitives at the international level, which is coordinating in real-time with police forces around the world. As many as 189 Red Notices have been issued between January and September 2025, which are the highest since the establishment of the CBI, he said.

"This shows that when there is a system in place, very good results are achieved," he said. On Bharatpol, an online portal set up by the CBI for international police cooperation, the home minister said it has achieved very good results since its formation in January 2025. "If the state police forces also make maximum use of it, we will be even more successful in achieving our objectives," he said.

/Agencies