Interpol Issues Silver Notice for Indian Suspect in Visa Fraud
Interpol has issued its first Silver notice at the request of India to help locate the global assets of a former French Embassy officer, Shubham Shokeen. He is wanted in connection with a visa fraud case.
This Silver notice, which is a new type of alert introduced by Interpol, aims to track the movement of illicit assets worldwide. Launched in January, this initiative started with Italy’s request before extending to other countries, including India, one of the 51 nations participating in this pilot phase.
The Silver notice is designed to gather information about assets connected to serious crimes, such as fraud and drug trafficking. Interpol has various color-coded notices to serve different purposes: for example, Red notices seek the detention of fugitives, Blue notices request additional information, and Yellow notices help find missing persons.
As part of the pilot project, countries can issue up to nine Silver notices. The current phase runs until November.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of India has already made two requests for Silver notices. The first was for Shokeen, who allegedly conspired to issue Schengen visas illegally, receiving bribes of ₹15,00,000 to ₹45,00,000 from each applicant. The CBI claims he used these funds to acquire properties worth 7,760,500 dirhams (about ₹15.7 crore) in Dubai.
Shokeen was previously subject to a Blue notice meant to trace his whereabouts. The CBI is the main authority in India for requests related to Interpol.
Another suspect, Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal, is also wanted and allegedly created a cryptocurrency called MTC, which is not recognized in India, for financial gain.
The CBI has highlighted that the Silver notices will assist countries in locating and identifying laundered assets, including real estate and financial accounts. These notices can also lay the groundwork for bilateral requests to seize or recover assets in accordance with national laws.
In total, India’s requests for Silver notices cover various ongoing investigations by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
