The Central Bureau of Investigation has said that a document containing the list of 50 absconders (most wanted) was handed over to the Home Secretary of Pakistan in March 2011. In this list, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) had furnished names of 10 absconders who are accused and figure in various cases being investigated by NIA. According to NIA investigations all these 10 accused are not currently available in India and are suspected to be in Pakistan.

The CBI said the failure to formally communicate the arrest of Khan Wazhul Kamar to CBI had resulted in his name being retained in the list. Wazhul Kamar had surfaced in Thane. After media reports indicated his presence in India, the CBI has removed his name from the list.

CBI said that Red Notices (RNs) are issued by the Interpol on the request of the CBI (designated nodal agency in the Government of India) for persons required/wanted/fugitives from justice by various Indian police and investigating agencies and who are believed to be absconding from India. Once the RN is issued by the Interpol, a copy of the same is circulated to the immigration authorities within India in the form of additions to the ‘look out notice’ list.

At the request of the Mumbai Police on January 2, 2004, the CBI proposed and got a RN published from the Interpol with regard to Khan Wazhul Kamar. The RN notice was published on March 16 and this was communicated by CBI to Mumbai Police on March 18, 2004.

When the Home Secretary level talks took place on March 28-29, 2011, a list was handed over including the name of Khan Wazhul Kamar. The list given to Pakistan in the bilateral talks held on March 6, 2007, at Islamabad also included the name of Khan Wazhul Kamar. It now transpires that the Mumbai Police arrested Khan Wazhul Kamar on May 21, 2010. This information of arrest and the request for consequent deletion of the RN was not sent by the Mumbai Police to the CBI. However, it has been gathered that the Mumbai Police had, in January 2011, conveyed to the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) office in Mumbai that Khan Wazhul Kamar had been arrested. This information, unfortunately, was not reflected in the list of fugitives maintained by the authorities and was overlooked while the list was prepared in March 2011.

The government immediately ordered a probe into the bungling, while transferring two mid-ranking officers and suspending an inspector.