CBI escorts fugitive Munawar Khan: Wanted in 2011 bank fraud case; brought back from Kuwait via INTERPOL

CHENNAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) successfully coordinated the return of fugitive Munawar Khan, wanted in connection with a forgery and cheating case involving the Bank of Baroda in 2011, from Kuwait through INTERPOL channels.Khan was escorted by a team of Kuwait Police and arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, on Thursday. His custody was taken over by officials of CBI’s Special Task Branch (STB), Chennai. He was produced before the CBI court in Hyderabad and remanded in judicial custody. According to the agency, Khan fled to Kuwait soon after defrauding the bank to the tune of Rs 3.5 crore and was declared a proclaimed offender.

The CBI registered a case against him and six others on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery. The six including a govt servant ere arrested and convicted in 2022 and was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of three and half years, said CBI sources.Khan remained at large, but through persistent follow-up and geo-location efforts, Khan was traced in Kuwait, and a Red Notice was issued by INTERPOL in February 2022, at the request of STB Chennai.

Kuwait authorities arrested Khan and decided to extradite him to India. “This return was made possible through close coordination between the International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU) of CBI, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the National Central Bureau (NCB)-Kuwait,” the agency said.The CBI noted that INTERPOL Red Notices are circulated globally to law enforcement agencies for tracking fugitives. As India’s National Central Bureau for INTERPOL, CBI coordinates with domestic agencies through the BHARATPOL platform. Over 130 fugitives have been brought back to India in the past few years through such cooperation, officials added.