Crime has gone global due to technological breakthroughs: Home Secy

With crime becoming globalised due to technological breakthroughs, there is an urgent need for real-time sharing of information and coordination among law enforcement agencies, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba said Thursday.

Inaugurating the sixth Interpol Liaison Officers' Conference at the CBI headquarters, Gauba said the digital revolution "allowed criminals to move funds across borders".

"Thus, there is a dangerous confluence of financial globalisation and digital technology facilitating cyber crime, narcotics trade and financing of terror," he added.

Gauba said though the term "globalisation" was normally used in the context of economics-- trade liberalisation and allowing foreign investments etc-crime had gone global due to technological breakthroughs.

The conference is being held at a time when the CBI is trying to get Interpol red corner notices issued against wanted accused like Mehul Choksi besides a protracted legal battle for the extradition of businessmen Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

The two-day conference will discuss extradition; Interpol's operational data bases-data management and search tools-and the system of notices, a statement from the CBI said.

Gauba said in the midst of the digital revolution, law enforcement agencies had realised that they could not operate in silos.

"In the scenario of seamless Internet and easy mobility, there is an urgent need for real-time sharing of information and greater mutual coordination amongst law enforcement agencies to optimise their responses," he said.

"The Interpol is uniquely placed to support law enforcement agencies of its member countries in this endeavour, the Home Secretary said.

The agency said the CBI being the National Central Bureau-India (international police cooperation unit) was coordinating with Indian law enforcement agencies and assisting them in matters of International police cooperation.

For coordination with state law enforcement agencies, Interpol liaison officers (ILOs) had been designated as contact points, it said.

CBI chief Rishi Kumar Shukla said the conference was held to familiarise and update the ILOs about the functioning and capabilities of the Interpol.

He said the Interpol was supporting member countries in improving the quality of data bases in order to enable the law enforcement community to make well-informed tactical, operational or strategic decisions.