The government has given 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 specialized Interpol training courses, according to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
Mr. Bhalla, who spoke at the CBI’s one–day 8th Interpol Liaison Officers’ virtual conference, said that rapid technological advancements had increased the complexity of investigations in the last two decades, necessitating increased international cooperation.
Interpol Liaison Officers, he said, played a crucial role in coordinating the execution of Letters of Request and Mutual Legal Assistance Requests from other countries.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently issued comprehensive guidelines on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, according to the Home Secretary. These guidelines outlined a step-by-step process for obtaining assistance from abroad by sending letters of request from the court and the MHA.
According to him, the guidelines also outlined the procedure for questioning witnesses using cutting-edge technology.
CBI has a lot of experience
Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, the CBI’s director, said the agency had a lot of experience investigating complex crimes with international ties and was working hard to get evidence from other countries.
“Digital evidence is becoming more important for successful criminal investigation and prosecution,” he said.
Mr. Jaiswal stated that law enforcement agencies around the world could no longer afford to work in isolation, especially as criminal elements stepped up cooperation through the use of technological platforms such as darknet, cryptocurrency, and encrypted communications.
Online radicalization, international terror networks and organized crime, transnational crimes, cyber-enabled financial crimes, and other challenges, he said, necessitated very coordinated and parallel actions to bring down such networks. Mr. Jaiswal stated, “We are working very closely with international law enforcement agencies to geo-locate criminals, fugitives, and ensure their return to India.”
Recently, the agency conducted joint operations against those who engage in online child sexual exploitation. The director of the CBI stated that the organization was heavily involved in coordinating action against maritime, environmental, human trafficking, and transnational organized crime.