The Interpol logo.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Interpol on Friday published its first-ever Silver Notice which is intended to trace and recover criminal assets, combat transnational organised crime, and enhance international police cooperation, after a request by Italy.
What does it mean?
"The Silver Notice is the newest addition to the Organization's suite of colour-coded Notices and Diffusions, which enable countries to share alerts and requests for information worldwide. It is being launched as part of a pilot phase involving 52 countries and territories, which will run at least until November 2025," the Interpol said.
Through the Silver Notice, member countries can seek information related to assets that are linked to a person's criminal activities, hence facilitating fetching information about any laundered assets.
What is its significance?
"The Silver notice will help India to locate assets of criminals who have transferred their illicit wealth to tax havens and other countries thinking that it will never be traced or accounted for," PTI quoted an official in the know of the development in India as saying.
How many other notices does Interpol have and what are they?
Interpol's Red Notice seeks to locate and arrest people wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
The Yellow Notice helps locate missing persons, often minors, or identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.
The Blue Notice collects additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
The Black Notice is issued to seek information on unidentified bodies.
The Green Notice is for providing warning about a person's criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
The Orange Notice warns of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety, while Purple Notice seeks or provides information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals.
Now, the the Silver Notice will help locate assets laundered across borders as part of a pilot project in which India is also a participant.
What is Interpol?
The International Criminal Police Organisation has 196 member countries. The Interpol allows countries to share data related to crime and criminals and offers technical support to them. In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is responsible for coordinating investigations on behalf of Interpol members.
(With PTI inputs)