The CBI is pressing Interpol to persuade Pakistan to hand over 32 terrorists and criminals wanted in India for serious crimes, CBI Director P C Sharma said here on Sunday.
The Interpol, the international police organisation with headquarters in France, has already issued Red Corner notices for these criminals who include those involved in hijacking of Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar and in the 1992 Bombay bomb blasts.
Pakistan has not responded to the notices from Interpol but CBI is pursuing the matter, Mr Sharma said.
Of the 32 terrorists and criminals, 12 figure in the list of 20 terrorists, handed over to Pakistan by India recently for extradition.
“There has been no response from Pakistan. Some members of the Interpol are not acting even though enough evidence has been given,” Mr Sharma said.
“We have evidence against the five hijackers and two of their accomplices and a Red Corner notice has been issued to all member countries of the Interpol,' he said. Stating that issuance of Red Corner notice was a “serious business”, Mr Sharma said unless the world police organisation was fully satisfied with the evidence they would not issue Red Corner notices.
The CBI director said the agency was keeping the pressure on for extradition of the fugitives and added “We are ready even to provide more evidence as and when it comes.”
Drawing an analogy between the functioning of Interpol and that of United Nations, he said it had a great moral force, but “It is for the requested country to decide whether it wants to take notice of Red Corner warrant.”
Mr Sharma, who took over as full-fledged
director of the CBI last month, said India had provided adequate proof
to the Interpol about the involvement of 19 accused in the 1992 Bombay
bomb blasts case.