Interpol issues first Silver notice on India's request

New Delhi: The Interpol has issued the first Silver notice on India's request to track the global assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in connection with a visa fraud, officials said.

The Silver notice is a colour-coded notice introduced by the Interpol in January this year to track the movement of illicit assets across the globe. The pilot project, of which India is also a part, started with the issuance of the first Silver notice on the request of Italy.

The Interpol issues nine types of colour-coded notices, each meant for seeking specific information from member countries worldwide. For instance, Red is for detaining a fugitive, Blue for seeking additional information, Black for unidentified bodies and Yellow for missing persons.

India is among the 51 member countries taking part in the first phase of Silver notice issuance. The pilot project will continue till November.

As part of the pilot phase, each country can get nine Silver notices published.

"Through Silver notices and Diffusions, member countries can request information on assets linked to a person's criminal activities such as fraud, corruption, drug trafficking, environmental crime and other serious offences," the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said the notice will facilitate locating, identifying and obtaining information about laundered assets including properties, vehicles, financial accounts and businesses.

Countries may subsequently use such information as a basis for bilateral engagement, including bilateral requests for seizure, confiscation or recovery of assets, subject to national laws, the agency said.

According to the statement, the Interpol has issued two Silver notices in quick succession on the CBI's request. The first request was made on May 23 against Shokeen, Personnel Visas and Local Law Officer in the French Embassy in Delhi, and the second on May 26 against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal wanted by the Enforcement Directorate.

"During the period from September 2019 to May 2022, Shokeen conspired with other accused persons and facilitated issuance of Schengen visa to applicants by collecting illegal gratification ranging from Rs 15,00,000 to Rs 45,00,000 from each," the CBI spokesperson said in the statement.

He said the accused used the proceeds of crime to acquire six immovable properties worth 7,760,500 dirhams (Rs 15,73,51,250) in Dubai.

Earlier, the CBI had got a Blue notice published against Shokeen to trace his whereabouts.

The CBI is the nodal body in India for everything related to the Interpol. All the law enforcement agencies in the country route their requests seeking assistance from the Interpol through the CBI.

Lakhanpal, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate, allegedly created a cryptocurrency named MTC, which is not recognised in India, for his own financial gains, the statement said.

"He lured investors to invest in MTC and collected funds of about Rs 113.10 crore from them. He did so without requisite permission and license from the government or the Reserve Bank of India," it said.

The CBI said he did not return the invested amount to depositors as promised by him while collecting the funds.

"He embezzled the collected funds and cheated the investors. To lure people, he posed as the authorised representative of the Ministry of Finance," the agency said.

The statement said India has already submitted requests for publication of Silver notices in cases being investigated by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Narcotics Control Bureau.