CBI deports two Red Notice criminals from Gulf nations in murder, fraud cases
Synopsis
In a single day, India repatriated two high-profile INTERPOL Red Notice fugitives — one wanted for murder from Saudi Arabia, another for large-scale financial fraud from the UAE. The coordinated operation by the CBI, NIA, MEA, and MHA is part of a broader push that has now brought more than 170 wanted criminals back to India through INTERPOL channels.
Key Takeaways
The CBI , in coordination with the MEA , MHA , and NIA , secured the deportation of two INTERPOL Red Notice fugitives from Gulf nations on 24 July .
Muhammedali Kanneer Palliyalil was deported from Saudi Arabia and was wanted by the NIA for unlawful activities and murder .
Avinash Arjun Rathod was deported from the UAE and taken into custody by Maharashtra Police at Mumbai airport in a large-scale financial fraud case.
Rathod allegedly induced investors with false promises of fixed monthly returns and diverted funds through multiple bank and demat accounts.
India has repatriated more than 170 wanted criminals in recent years through INTERPOL channel coordination via BHARATPOL .
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), working in close coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), secured the deportation of two INTERPOL Red Notice fugitives from Gulf nations on 24 July, according to an official statement. The two individuals were wanted in connection with separate cases of murder and large-scale financial fraud.
Who Was Deported and From Where
Muhammedali Kanneer Palliyalil was deported from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, 24 July. He was wanted by the NIA for unlawful activities and murder. Separately, Avinash Arjun Rathod was deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the same day and was taken into custody by a team of Maharashtra Police upon his arrival at Mumbai airport.
Details of the Crimes
According to the CBI, Palliyalil, along with associates, allegedly assembled with deadly weapons, criminally trespassed into the shop of a victim, wrongfully restrained him, and inflicted grievous injuries using lethal weapons, resulting in the victim's death. The NIA had earlier requested the CBI to publish a Red Notice against him through INTERPOL channels. He was subsequently geo-located in Saudi Arabia, arrested by Saudi authorities, and deported to India following an extradition request and due process.
Rathod, meanwhile, was wanted in a case involving a large-scale financial fraud. According to the CBI, he allegedly induced investors to put money into multiple schemes by falsely promising assured fixed monthly returns, then dishonestly misappropriated the funds and routed the proceeds through multiple bank accounts and demat accounts. Indian agencies had secured an INTERPOL Red Notice against him before his deportation from the UAE.
How the Deportations Were Secured
The CBI serves as India's National Central Bureau for INTERPOL and coordinates with all domestic law enforcement agencies through the BHARATPOL platform to facilitate assistance via INTERPOL channels. In both cases, inter-agency coordination between the CBI, NIA, MEA, and MHA proved critical to locating, detaining, and repatriating the accused.
Broader Context: India's Push to Repatriate Fugitives
The twin deportations are part of a sustained effort by Indian law enforcement to bring wanted criminals back from abroad. According to the official statement, more than 170 wanted criminals have been brought back to India in recent years through INTERPOL channel coordination, reflecting a growing operational capability in cross-border fugitive recovery. This comes amid heightened diplomatic engagement with Gulf nations on law enforcement cooperation, a corridor that has increasingly become significant given the large Indian diaspora presence in the region.
With both accused now in Indian custody, investigators are expected to advance their respective prosecutions in the coming weeks.
Point of View
Not just diplomatically. The use of BHARATPOL as a coordination spine, alongside INTERPOL's Red Notice mechanism, reflects a structural upgrade from the ad hoc extradition requests of the past. What remains untested is whether this momentum extends beyond Gulf nations — where diplomatic leverage is relatively strong — to jurisdictions in Europe or Southeast Asia where several high-profile economic offenders remain at large. The '170 criminals repatriated' figure, while notable, needs to be contextualised against the total number of active Red Notices and pending extradition requests, a figure the government has not made public.
NationPress
24 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the two criminals deported by the CBI from Gulf nations?
The two individuals are Muhammedali Kanneer Palliyalil , deported from Saudi Arabia and wanted by the NIA for unlawful activities and murder, and Avinash Arjun Rathod , deported from the UAE and wanted for large-scale financial fraud. Both were listed on INTERPOL Red Notices before their deportation on 24 July.
What is an INTERPOL Red Notice and how did it help in these deportations?
An INTERPOL Red Notice is an international alert requesting law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person. In both cases, the CBI published Red Notices through INTERPOL channels, which enabled foreign authorities to geo-locate and detain the accused before India formally sought their deportation.
What fraud did Avinash Arjun Rathod allegedly commit?
According to the CBI, Rathod allegedly induced investors to put money into multiple schemes by falsely promising assured fixed monthly returns. He then misappropriated the funds and routed the proceeds through multiple bank accounts and demat accounts in a criminal conspiracy with others.
How many wanted criminals has India repatriated in recent years?
According to the official CBI statement, more than 170 wanted criminals have been brought back to India in recent years through coordinated efforts involving the MEA, MHA, and various law enforcement agencies via INTERPOL channels.
What is BHARATPOL and what role does it play?
BHARATPOL is India's domestic coordination platform through which the CBI, as the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL in India, liaises with all domestic law enforcement agencies to facilitate assistance via INTERPOL channels. It played a key role in coordinating the deportations of both accused.
