Recently, the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force, in a coordinated operation with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), successfully apprehended an international wildlife offender. The individual was wanted under an INTERPOL Red Notice, highlighting India’s active participation in global law enforcement against wildlife crimes.

What is an INTERPOL Red Notice?

An INTERPOL Red Notice is an international alert issued to law enforcement agencies worldwide, requesting them to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

It is issued based on an arrest warrant or court order from the judicial authorities of the requesting country. However, it is important to note that a Red Notice is not an arrest warrant. Each member country applies its own national laws to decide whether to arrest the individual.

Purpose of a Red Notice

The primary purpose of a Red Notice is to inform law enforcement agencies worldwide about a wanted individual. It facilitates international cooperation and ensures that fugitives can be tracked across borders.

Information Contained in a Red Notice

A Red Notice contains two main types of information:

1. Identification Details:

   • Full name, date of birth, and nationality

   • Physical features such as hair and eye color

   • Photographs and fingerprints, if available

2. Crime Details:

   • Description of the crime for which the person is wanted

   • Typically issued for serious crimes, such as murder, rape, armed robbery, child abuse, or wildlife trafficking

Issuance and Legal Framework

• Red Notices are published by INTERPOL at the request of a member country.

• They must comply with INTERPOL’s Constitution and Rules.

• Notices are issued for individuals wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence for serious criminal offenses.

• INTERPOL cannot compel any country to arrest the individual, as enforcement depends on the laws of the member country.

India’s Role in INTERPOL Red Notices

In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) acts as the National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL. The CBI manages Red Notices for all categories of crimes, including wildlife offenses, ensuring international fugitives can be tracked and apprehended.

Significance

The recent apprehension of a wildlife offender in Madhya Pradesh demonstrates India’s proactive engagement with international law enforcement mechanisms. The operation highlights the importance of Red Notices in combating transnational crimes and strengthening cooperation between Indian and global agencies.

GS-II: Interpol Red Notice

News

As many as 18 requests for RNs from India are pending with Interpol, including against famous fugitives hiding abroad.

INTERPOL:

• Interpol is a global police cooperation agency and a non-governmental organization (NGO).
• It was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in 1923.
• Its headquarter is located at Lyon, France.
• It is the world’s largest international police organization, with 194 member countries (including India).
• It is second-largest international organization after United Nations in terms of international representation.
• Its work focuses on public safety and battling terrorism, crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, environmental crime etc.

Red Notices

• Criminals or suspects often flee to other countries to evade facing justice. A Red Notice alerts police forces across the world about fugitives who are wanted internationally.
• Interpol describes an RN as “a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action”.
• RNs contain information that helps identify wanted persons, such as their names, dates of birth, nationality, and physical attributes such as the colour of their hair and eyes.

Why Red Notice?

• RNs mention the crime(s) they are wanted for.
• An RN is published by Interpol at the request of a member country.
• The fugitives may be wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
• The country issuing the request need not be the home country of the fugitive; Interpol acts on the request of a country where the alleged crime has been committed.

Importance of Red Notice

• An RN can help bring a fugitive to justice, sometimes many years after the crime was committed.
• However, because an RN is not an arrest warrant, action against a fugitive frequently rests on the diplomatic clout that the country making the request has with the country where the fugitive is located.
• Nations with a big international profile, and economic or political heft, are often more successful than the rest.