Latest news with #ShubhamShokeen
News18
3 days ago
- News18
What Is Interpol's Silver Notice That India Just Issued Against Two Men?
Last Updated: India's first Silver Notice was issued on May 23, 2025, against Shubham Shokeen, a former visa and local law officer at a foreign embassy in New Delhi. While the world is familiar with Interpol's Red Corner Notice used to flag wanted criminals, a quieter but potent tool has recently emerged on the international stage, known as the Silver Notice. India has now joined the ranks of countries deploying this novel mechanism, aimed not at capturing fugitives directly, but at tracing their wealth across borders. In a significant move, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently issued India's first two Silver Notices, part of a new Interpol project designed to help law enforcement agencies worldwide identify, monitor, and eventually recover properties and assets acquired through serious crimes. Launched under a pilot programme by Interpol in collaboration with 51 countries and territories, the Silver Notice is a powerful instrument for asset tracing. Unlike traditional notices like Red (wanted persons), Blue (location tracking), or Green (crime alerts), the Silver Notice focuses exclusively on financial footprints, i.e. assets, real estate, bank accounts, and any properties linked to organised criminal activity. This pilot project will run until November 2025, with each participating country allowed to issue a maximum of nine notices. In India's case, the initiative is being jointly utilised by the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The goal is to build global intelligence around illicit wealth and make it increasingly difficult for criminals to hide behind international borders. These notices enable countries to share specific property details linked to crimes such as corruption, drug trafficking, environmental offences, and financial fraud. The information can then be used to assist in legal proceedings for asset seizure and recovery. India's first Silver Notice was issued on May 23, 2025, against Shubham Shokeen, a former visa and local law officer at a foreign embassy in New Delhi. Between September 2019 and May 2022, Shokeen allegedly masterminded a visa fraud racket, illegally issuing Schengen visas in exchange for hefty bribes ranging from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 45 lakh per applicant. Using the proceeds of the alleged scam, he purchased six immovable properties worth AED 77.6 lakh (approximately Rs 15.73 crore) in Dubai. The Silver Notice now seeks to flag and trace these assets with an eye toward seizure. Earlier, a Blue Corner Notice had been issued against Shokeen to trace his whereabouts. Second Silver Notice Issued To Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal Just days later, on May 26, a second Silver Notice was issued, this time at the request of the ED, against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal, the controversial promoter of the fraudulent cryptocurrency Money Trade Coin (MTC). Lakhanpal is accused of raising over Rs 113 crore from investors by falsely portraying MTC as a government-backed crypto initiative. He is also alleged to have misrepresented himself as an official of the Ministry of Finance. Despite earlier action, including a Red Notice, many of the assets acquired from this scam remained difficult to locate or seize, until now. The Silver Notice aims to rectify that by enlisting global cooperation in tracing his financial trail. Why It Matters India's participation in the Silver Notice pilot signals a crucial shift in the country's approach to transnational crime. As white-collar criminals increasingly exploit global financial systems to launder their wealth, traditional tools like arrest warrants are proving insufficient. Asset tracing, once an afterthought, is now becoming central to the pursuit of justice. By zeroing in on ill-gotten gains and enabling countries to share intelligence in near real time, the Silver Notice could become a game-changer in the international fight against financial crime. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 28, 2025, 17:24 IST
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First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
Interpol puts out first-ever Silver Notice at India's request. What is it?
Interpol has published its first-ever Silver Notice at India's request. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked Interpol to track the assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in India on visa fraud. But what is the Silver Notice? How does it work? read more Interpol has eight different types of colour-coded notices and alerts. Interpol has published its first ever Silver Notice at India's request. The agency has done so at the behest of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has asked Interpol to track the assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen. Shokeen is wanted in India on visa fraud. India has also secured an additional Silver Notice against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal for cryptocurrency fraud. But what is the Silver Notice? How does it work? Let's take a closer look STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is the Silver Notice? First, let's take a brief look at Interpol. Interpol is formally called the International Criminal Police Organisation. Based in France's Lyon, it is the only global police organisation. It facilitates cooperation between police of 196 member nations. In India, the CBI coordinates with Interpol. According to The Times of India, the Silver Notice was first introduced in January. It is designed to track and recover ill-gotten assets anywhere in the world. As per Financial Express, it is also aimed at combatting international criminal groups and increasing cooperation between authorities. Interpol is formally called the International Criminal Police Organisation. Based in France's Lyon, it is the only global police organisation. The pilot program was introduced by Italy – which also issued the first notice against a senior member of the Mafia. India has joined it alongside at least 50 other nations – Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, China, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Gabon, Georgia, Gibraltar (UK), Guinea, Hungary, , Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea (Rep. of), Kuwait, Latvia, Malawi, Malta, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The pilot program will run till November 2025, as per Financial Express. How does it work? As per Financial Express, the silver notes is just the latest entrant in Interpol's long list of colour -coded notices. This allows countries to alert each other about individuals who are wanted for questioning and allows them to share information. Nations can also seek data on assets linked to a person's criminal activities. These can include fraud, corruption, drug trafficking, environmental crime and other serious crimes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Silver Notice will help find information about assets such as properties, vehicles, financial accounts and businesses. Countries may then use such information to cooperate with each other to go after the assets. During the pilot phase, extracts of Silver Notices will not be published on the Interpol website. Under the project, 500 notices can be requested which will be equally divided among the participating countries, Interpol has said. Each country gets around 9 notices. In India, the CBI coordinates with Interpol. 'The Silver Notice will help India to locate assets of criminals who have transferred their illicit wealth to tax havens and other countries thinking that it will never be traced or accounted for,' an Indian official in the know said. Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said stripping criminals and their networks of illegal profits is one of the most powerful ways to fight transnational organised crime, especially I considering that 99 per cent of criminal assets remain unrecovered. 'By targeting their financial gains, Interpol is working to disrupt criminal networks and reduce their harmful impact on communities worldwide,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Interpol General Secretariat will review every Silver Notice and Diffusion for compliance with the Organisation's rules prior to its publication or circulation. 'This includes ensuring they are not used for political purposes, in contravention of Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution. During the pilot phase, extracts of Silver Notices will not be published on Interpol's website,' the statement said. The Interpol's 91st General Assembly, held in Vienna, in 2023 outlined the development and implementation of the Silver Notice and Diffusion pilot through a resolution. The resolution tasked the Expert Working Group on Asset Tracing and Recovery, in collaboration with the General Secretariat, with designing the pilot's scope, format, conditions and safeguard measures. What about the other notices? Interpol has eight different types of colour-coded notices and alerts, as per India Today. The other notices are – Red Notice, Yellow Notice, Blue Notice, Black Notice, Green Notice, Orange Notice and Purple Notice. Interpol's Red Notice seeks to locate and arrest people wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. The Yellow Notice helps locate missing persons, often minors, or identify persons who are unable to identify themselves. The Blue Notice collects additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Black Notice is issued to seek information on unidentified bodies. The Green Notice is for providing warning about a person's criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety. The Orange Notice warns of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety; while Purple Notice seeks or provides information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals. Interpol's United Nations Security Council Special Notice is issued for entities and individuals who are the targets of UN Security Council Sanctions Committees. 'It is issued for individuals and entities that are subject to sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Its principal function is to alert national law enforcement authorities that at least one of these forms of sanctions apply – assets freeze [there is no requirement to seize or confiscate assets]; travel ban: preventing an individual from entering or transiting through territories [there is no requirement to arrest or prosecute these individuals]; arms embargo: preventing the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms and related materials,' according to the Interpol website. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
News18
3 days ago
- News18
Interpol Issues Two Silver Notices On India's Request In Visa Fraud, Crypto Scam Cases
Last Updated: Two Silver Notices have been issued on India's request to track illicit assets of Shubham Shokeen, accused in a major visa fraud case, and Amit Lakhanpal in a crypto scam case. The Interpol has issued two Silver notices on India's request to track the global assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in connection with a visa fraud case, and the other one against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal, wanted by the Enforcement Directorate. The first Silver Notice was issued by the Interpol on May 23, while the second one was issued on May 26. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Shokeen, between September 2019 and May 2022, conspired with some others and facilitated issuance of Schengen visa to applicants by collecting illegal gratification ranging from Rs 15,00,000 to Rs 45,00,000 from each. The agency also said Shokeen used the proceeds of crime to acquire six immovable properties worth 7,760,500 dirhams (Rs 15,73,51,250) in Dubai. Earlier, the CBI got a Blue notice issued against Shokeen to trace his whereabouts. Lakhanpal, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate, allegedly created a cryptocurrency named MTC, which is not recognised in India, for his own financial gains, the CBI statement mentioned. 'He lured investors to invest in MTC and collected funds of about Rs 113.10 crore from them. He did so without requisite permission and license from the government or the Reserve Bank of India," it said. The CBI said he did not return the invested amount to depositors as promised by him while collecting the funds. 'He embezzled the collected funds and cheated the investors. To lure people, he posed as the authorised representative of the Ministry of Finance," the agency said. The statement said India has already submitted requests for publication of Silver notices in cases being investigated by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Narcotics Control Bureau. The Silver notice is a colour-coded notice introduced by the Interpol in January this year to track the movement of illicit assets across the globe. The pilot project, of which India is also a part, started with the issuance of the first Silver notice on the request of Italy. The Interpol issues nine types of colour-coded notices, each meant for seeking specific information from member countries worldwide. For instance, Red is for detaining a fugitive, Blue for seeking additional information, Black for unidentified bodies and Yellow for missing persons. India is among the 51 member countries taking part in the first phase of Silver notice issuance. The pilot project will continue till November. As part of the pilot phase, each country can get nine Silver notices published. In a statement on Tuesday, the CBI said, '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 offences." It said the notice 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 agency said. First Published: May 28, 2025, 10:43 IST
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Interpol Issues Two Silver Notices On India's Request
New Delhi: The Interpol has issued the first Silver notice on India's request to track the global assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in connection with a visa fraud, officials said. The Silver notice is a colour-coded notice introduced by the Interpol in January this year to track the movement of illicit assets across the globe. The pilot project, of which India is also a part, started with the issuance of the first Silver notice on the request of Italy. The Interpol issues nine types of colour-coded notices, each meant for seeking specific information from member countries worldwide. For instance, Red is for detaining a fugitive, Blue for seeking additional information, Black for unidentified bodies and Yellow for missing persons. India is among the 51 member countries taking part in the first phase of Silver notice issuance. The pilot project will continue till November. As part of the pilot phase, each country can get nine Silver notices published. "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 offences," the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement on Tuesday. It said the notice 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 agency said. According to the statement, the Interpol has issued two Silver notices in quick succession on the CBI's request. The first request was made on May 23 against Shokeen, Personnel Visas and Local Law Officer in the French Embassy in Delhi, and the second on May 26 against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal wanted by the Enforcement Directorate. "During the period from September 2019 to May 2022, Shokeen conspired with other accused persons and facilitated issuance of Schengen visa to applicants by collecting illegal gratification ranging from Rs 15,00,000 to Rs 45,00,000 from each," the CBI spokesperson said in the statement. He said the accused used the proceeds of crime to acquire six immovable properties worth 7,760,500 dirhams (Rs 15,73,51,250) in Dubai. Earlier, the CBI had got a Blue notice published against Shokeen to trace his whereabouts. The CBI is the nodal body in India for everything related to the Interpol. All the law enforcement agencies in the country route their requests seeking assistance from the Interpol through the CBI. Lakhanpal, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate, allegedly created a cryptocurrency named MTC, which is not recognised in India, for his own financial gains, the statement said. "He lured investors to invest in MTC and collected funds of about Rs 113.10 crore from them. He did so without requisite permission and license from the government or the Reserve Bank of India," it said. The CBI said he did not return the invested amount to depositors as promised by him while collecting the funds. "He embezzled the collected funds and cheated the investors. To lure people, he posed as the authorised representative of the Ministry of Finance," the agency said. The statement said India has already submitted requests for publication of Silver notices in cases being investigated by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Interpol issues first Silver notice on India's request
The Interpol has issued the first Silver notice on India's request to track the global assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in connection with a visa fraud, officials said. The Silver notice is a colour-coded notice introduced by the Interpol in January this year to track the movement of illicit assets across the globe. The pilot project, of which India is also a part, started with the issuance of the first Silver notice on the request of Italy. The Interpol issues nine types of colour-coded notices, each meant for seeking specific information from member countries worldwide. For instance, Red is for detaining a fugitive, Blue for seeking additional information, Black for unidentified bodies and Yellow for missing persons. India is among the 51 member countries taking part in the first phase of Silver notice issuance. The pilot project will continue till November. As part of the pilot phase, each country can get nine Silver notices published. '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 offences,' the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement on Tuesday. It said the notice 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 agency said. According to the statement, the Interpol has issued two Silver notices in quick succession on the CBI's request. The first request was made on May 23 against Shokeen, Personnel Visas and Local Law Officer in the French Embassy in Delhi, and the second on May 26 against Amit Madanlal Lakhanpal wanted by the Enforcement Directorate. 'During the period from September 2019 to May 2022, Shokeen conspired with other accused persons and facilitated issuance of Schengen visa to applicants by collecting illegal gratification ranging from Rs 15,00,000 to Rs 45,00,000 from each,' the CBI spokesperson said in the statement. He said the accused used the proceeds of crime to acquire six immovable properties worth 7,760,500 dirhams (Rs 15,73,51,250) in Dubai. Earlier, the CBI had got a Blue notice published against Shokeen to trace his whereabouts. The CBI is the nodal body in India for everything related to the Interpol. All the law enforcement agencies in the country route their requests seeking assistance from the Interpol through the CBI. Lakhanpal, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate, allegedly created a cryptocurrency named MTC, which is not recognised in India, for his own financial gains, the statement said. 'He lured investors to invest in MTC and collected funds of about Rs 113.10 crore from them. He did so without requisite permission and license from the government or the Reserve Bank of India,' it said. The CBI said he did not return the invested amount to depositors as promised by him while collecting the funds. 'He embezzled the collected funds and cheated the investors. To lure people, he posed as the authorised representative of the Ministry of Finance,' the agency said. The statement said India has already submitted requests for publication of Silver notices in cases being investigated by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
