The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Interpol have successfully extradited a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative from Rwanda. Salman Rehman Khan, who was under an Interpol Red Notice for his involvement in terrorism-related activities in Bengaluru, has been brought back to India.
Khan, identified as a member of the banned terrorist organization, played a critical role in facilitating the supply of weapons, ammunition, and explosives to aid terrorist operations in Bengaluru.
“In a significant breakthrough in the Bengaluru prisons terror conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured the extradition of a key Lashkar-e-Taiba fugitive, Salman Khan, from Rwanda,” the NIA stated.
The operation was carried out through coordinated efforts by the CBI’s Global Operations Centre, the NIA, and Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Kigali. According to a CBI spokesperson, this collaboration ensured Khan’s return to India from Rwanda.
The NIA had initiated an investigation in 2023 into a criminal conspiracy aimed at spreading terrorism in Bengaluru. The case, initially registered at Hebbal Police Station, Bengaluru, led to the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against Khan on August 2, 2024. This notice was disseminated globally to help locate and detain him.
Khan was eventually tracked to Rwanda, where the CBI, in partnership with Interpol’s NCB in Kigali, secured his detention. An NIA security team facilitated his extradition and brought him back to India on November 28, 2024.
This operation is part of a series of successful extraditions recently carried out by Indian authorities. These include the return of Barkat Ali Khan from Saudi Arabia, wanted by the CBI for a 2012 case involving rioting and the use of explosives, and Raihan Arabikkalalarikkal, sought by Kerala Police for sexual offences against a minor.
As India’s National Central Bureau for Interpol, the CBI plays a pivotal role in coordinating with domestic law enforcement agencies. Since 2021, it has facilitated the return of 100 wanted criminals through Interpol, including 26 extraditions in 2024 alone.
This latest operation underscores India’s commitment to combating terrorism and bringing fugitives to justice through effective international collaboration.
