File photo of India and UAE flag for representational purpose.
Credit: iStock Image
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs has initiated the process for extradition of fugitive Hussain Mohammed Shattaf alias Hussain Mehboob Khokhawala from the United Arab Emirates, officials said.
Shattaf is wanted for the murder of retired Merchant Navy Captain Manmohan Singh Virdi at Maharashtra's Lonavala in 2006.
MEA officials stated that the extradition request has been forwarded to the Indian Embassy in the UAE last week, where Shattaf is believed to be residing illegally using forged documents.
"The Government of India has initiated formalities for extraditing the fugitive from the UAE," an MEA official said, adding that India remains committed to bringing back wanted criminals.
Shattaf faces murder charges along with separate cases of forgery, criminal breach of trust, and obtaining a passport under false details. He allegedly fled India after the crime and forged a marriage certificate to secure residency in the UAE. His Indian passport, issued in 2019, expired in 2021.