Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Tuesday said the government had given an in–principle approval for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Academy to join the Interpol Global Academy Network, making it a regional hub for providing various specialised training courses of the Interpol.
Mr. Bhalla, who inaugurated the one–day 8th Interpol Liaison Officers’ virtual conference organised by the CBI, said in the last two decades, rapid technological transformations had increased the complexity of investigations, necessitating an enhanced international cooperation.
He said the Interpol Liaison Officers played a key coordinating role in the execution of Letters of Request and Mutual Legal Assistance Requests from other countries.
The Home Secretary said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had recently issued comprehensive guidelines on Mutual Legal Assistance in criminal matters. These guidelines provided a detailed process for seeking assistance from abroad by sending court–issued Letter of Request and those issued by the MHA.
The guidelines also laid down the process for examination of witnesses using the latest technical means, he said.
CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal said the agency had substantial experience in investigating complex crimes with international linkages and was making efforts to secure evidence from overseas.
“Digital evidence is getting primacy for successful investigation and prosecution of criminal offences,” he said.
Mr. Jaiswal said the law enforcement agencies globally could not afford to work in isolation, especially when criminal elements were escalating cooperation through use of technological platforms like darknet, cryptocurrency and encrypted communications.
He said the challenges posed by online radicalisation, international terror network and organised crime, transnational crimes, cyber–enabled financial crimes etc. required very coordinated and parallel actions to take down such networks.
“We are working very closely with international law enforcement agencies to geo locate criminals, fugitives and for their return to India,” said Mr. Jaiswal, adding that the CBI had also been extending all necessary assistance to the international law enforcement agencies.
The agency has recently carried out joint operations against those involved in online child sexual exploitation.
The CBI chief said the agency was heavily engaged in coordinating action against maritime, environmental, human trafficking and transnational organised crimes.
