CBI coordinates return of wanted fugitive Jagdish Punetha from UAE

Punetha had been on the run after being accused in a case registered at the Pithoragarh Police Station in Uttarakhand.

The charges against him include cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Following his escape to the UAE, Indian authorities initiated international action against him.

On May 6, INTERPOL issued a Red Notice at the request of Uttarakhand Police, officially alerting global law enforcement agencies to locate and detain him.

Once the Red Notice was circulated, the CBI—India’s designated National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL—coordinated efforts through its BHARATPOL platform and worked with authorities in the UAE to trace Punetha’s location.

After he was detained abroad, a team from the Uttarakhand Police travelled to the UAE to complete the process and bring him back.

The fugitive was escorted to New Delhi on November 13, marking the conclusion of a months-long operation.

The CBI’s role as India’s point of contact for all INTERPOL-related matters ensures seamless communication between domestic investigative agencies and international partners.

Red Notices, one of INTERPOL’s most widely used tools, serve as alerts requesting member countries to identify and provisionally detain individuals wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.

India has intensified its use of international cooperation mechanisms in recent years.

The successful return of more than 150 wanted criminals through INTERPOL channels highlights the country’s strengthened capabilities in tackling cross-border crime and ensuring that fugitives cannot escape justice by fleeing overseas.

This latest operation involving Jagdish Punetha stands as another example of India’s growing effectiveness in leveraging global policing networks to pursue offenders and uphold the rule of law.