CBI gets first silver notice published through Interpol

New Delhi, May 28

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) gets first silver notice published through Interpol. 

Interpol has launched Silver Notice, which enable countries to share alerts and requests for information on assets of wanted criminals worldwide.

CBI explained that 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 offenses. It 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 officials added that currently, Silver Notice has been launched as part of a pilot phase involving 51 countries and territories, which will run at least until November 2025. As part of pilot phase each country can get published 9 Silver Notices. India has already submitted requests for publication of Silver Notices in cases being investigated by CBI, ED and NCB. 

CBI has got published first ever Silver Notice of India against Shokeen Shubham, the then Personnel Visas & Local Law Officer at one of the Embassies of a foreign country located in New Delhi, for having perpetrated a visa fraud. 

CBI said that during the period from September, 2019 to May, 2022, he conspired with other accused persons and facilitated issuance of Schengen visa to the visa applicants by collecting illegal gratification ranging from INR15 lakhs to INR 45 lakhs from each visa applicant. He acquired six immovable properties worth 7,760,500 Dirhams (INR 15,73,51,250) at Dubai, UAE out of the proceeds of crime. 

Earlier, CBI also got a Blue Notice published against the same subject to trace his whereabouts.

CBI has got published another Silver Notice against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal on the request of ED. 

Lakhanpal created digital / crypto-currency by name MTC which is not recognized in India, for his own financial gains. He lured and induced the investors and collected funds of about Rs. 113.10 Crores from them towards the investment in MTC. He did so without the prior requisite permission and license from the Government / RBI in accordance with the law. Ultimately, he did not return the invested amount as promised by him at the time of collecting investments. He embezzled the said collected funds and cheated the investors financially.

The officials added that to fortify his intentions to lure the people and to cheat them, he impersonated as the authorized representative of Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India. Silver Notice has been published for the purpose of identifying, locating, obtaining and monitoring the assets of the subject worldwide. Earlier, a Red Notice was also got published against him through INTERPOL.

The silver notice so published will facilitate identifying and locating assets of these individuals worldwide, officials further added.