Tracking fugitives everywhere

Relevance: India’s criminal handling system should be aligned to catch fugitives within the country. Because once they leave the country, it becomes difficult to bring them back.

Synopsis:

In the absence of a coordinated database, criminals can go undetected. Hence, robust tracking of fugitives demands the creation of a nationwide database of wanted persons, which should be accessible by the government agencies and the public.

Background:

• Indian law on extradition is spread across the Indian Penal Code as well as various laws pertaining to narcotic drugs, Information Technology, hijacking, and so on.
• Theoretically, there exists a system of tracking criminals worldwide through Interpol Notices and the sharing of immigration databases of different countries. 
• However, there is no coordinated system or database for tracking criminals or wanted persons domestically.
  • Some police stations do initiate proceedings for attachment of property and declaration of the accused as proclaimed offenders. 
  • But the number of cases where coordinated efforts are made to pursue fugitives (domestically or internationally) are hardly documented.

Impact of not having a Domestic Database:

• It is relatively easy for criminals from one police station/jurisdiction to mix into the population in any other area without being detected.
• The absence creates a tendency to close investigations once the accused have absconded. This reduces the pendency of cases but undermines the administration of justice.

What should be done?

• A nationwide database of wanted persons should be created, which could be accessible by the government agencies and the public.
  • The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and the National Intelligence Grid are efforts in the right direction, but more integration is desirable.
• A nationwide system of ‘Wanted Person Notices’, similar to Interpol Notices, is required to track fugitives domestically. Countries like the US already have functional inter-State extradition and fugitive tracking systems.
• The integration between immigration agencies, State police agencies, Interpol-New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry, and Home Ministry should be enhanced.
• Further India needs to sign more bilateral and multilateral conventions on criminal matters and extradition. 
  • All relevant legal processes and requirements should be incorporated into one consolidated law on international cooperation. This would restrain criminals from absconding abroad.
• The entire gamut of activities pertaining to fugitives, from investigation to extradition, needs to be incorporated into a specialized setup with an Integrated International Cooperation Division (IICD) at the top. 
  • The IICD should have linkages with proposed fugitive tracking units at the State level. This would ensure the creation of desired forward-and-backward linkages.