NEW DELHI: The CBI, NIA and Interpol have secured extradition of a Lashkar-e-Taiba member from Rwanda who was under an Interpol Red Notice for terrorism activities in Bengaluru.
Salman Rehman Khan, identified as a member of the banned terrorist organisation, had facilitated the supply of weapons, ammunition and explosives to support terrorist activities in Bengaluru.
“In a major breakthrough in the Bengaluru prisons terror conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured the extradition of a key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) fugitive, Salman Khan, from Rwanda,” NIA said in a statement.
The CBI’s Global Operations Centre worked in close coordination with the NIA and Interpol National Central Bureau – Kigali to secure Khan’s return to India from Rwanda, according to a CBI spokesperson’s statement.
The NIA had initiated a case in 2023 regarding a criminal plot to spread terrorism in Bengaluru, with a corresponding FIR registered at Hebbal Police Station, Bengaluru.
Following NIA’s request, the CBI secured an Interpol Red Notice against Khan on August 2, 2024, which was distributed to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate the wanted individual.
Authorities traced Khan to Rwanda, where the CBI sought support from Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Kigali. An NIA security team brought him back to India on November 28, 2024.
This operation follows recent successful extraditions from Saudi Arabia, including Barkat Ali Khan, wanted by the CBI for a 2012 case involving rioting and explosive substances, and Raihan Arabikkalalarikkal, sought by Kerala Police for sexual offences against a minor.
The CBI, serving as India’s National Central Bureau for Interpol, maintains close cooperation with domestic law enforcement agencies. Since 2021, they have facilitated the return of 100 wanted criminals to India through Interpol channels, including 26 in the current year.