Author: Vishwa Mohan
Publication: The Times of India
Date: April 28, 2008
Introduction: For First Time, Forbes Brings
Out Roster Of Dreaded Criminals
The latest top 10 list released by Forbes
features the world's most dreaded criminals, in a major departure from the
magazine's usual practice of listing the planet's rich and famous.
India's very own Dawood Ibrahim has found
a place in the list-at number four. The "international most wanted''
roster is headed by Al Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden and includes others like
Mexican druglord Joaquin Guzman, Russian mobster Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, the
man behind Rwanda genocides, Felicien Kabuga and Italian mafia's playboy Matteo
Messina Denaro.
Rounding off the list are Colombian cocaine
lord Pedro Antonio Marin, Ugandan guerrilla commander Joseph Kony, leader
of the Winter Hill Gang in the US James "Whitey'' Bulger and kingpin
of the Persian organized crime family in Canada Omid Tahvili.
Forbes.com, which has come up with the list,
claimed to have consulted law enforcement agencies in the US and around the
world to identify the top 10. "They (listed criminals) are all accused
of a long history of committing serious crimes and are considered a dangerous
menace to the world,'' it said.
Though all of them have already featured on
one or the other wanted list, ranging from their countries' list to Interpol,
the Forbes initiative appears to be a step in highlighting their extent as
international criminals given "the current state of globalized crime''.
Referring to the Forbes list, ex-CBI director
U S Misra told TOI, "It will have some impact on the countries which
have been harbouring such criminals for political reasons. These lists will
put pressure on such countries which will have to answer their own people
in due course for giving shelter to the fugitives.''
Misra, a former Interpol vice-president, said
details of such fugitives, including their possible hideouts in a particular
country, will tell the world how the country concerned was not cooperating
with Interpol by failing to deliver on the promises made to the global police
body.
The Forbes list has, in fact, mentioned the
possible hideouts of Dawood (in Pakistan), Osama (in Pakistan's Waziristan
region) and others-reflecting the law enforcement agencies' assessment of
the area of operations of these criminals and their shelters.
The list also found support from Interpol
secretary general Ronald Noble who told Forbes.com, "What they all have
in common is that whether nationally or internationally, their crimes have
been so significant that they should be pursued globally. With regard to the
world's most wanted criminals, it is always easy to see the tremendous local
impact that their crimes have had.''
