CBI secures extradition of fugitive Monika Kapoor in 20-year-old fraud case

Monika Kapoor is accused of orchestrating a multi-crore import-export fraud along with her brothers, who were convicted in 2017, while she fled to the US in 1999

After more than two decades on the run, fugitive economic offender Monika Kapoor has been extradited from the United States, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced on Wednesday.

 

The extradition of Kapoor, who is accused of committing a multi-crore fraud involving the misuse of import licences, marks a major milestone in the bureau's crackdown on long-absconding accused persons.

 

₹2.36 crore gold import fraud

Kapoor, the proprietor of Monika Overseas, is accused of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy in 1998 with her brothers, Rajan Khanna and Rajeev Khanna. The trio allegedly forged shipping bills, invoices, and bank certificates of export and realisation to fraudulently obtain six replenishment licences for duty-free gold imports worth ₹2.36 crore. These licences, which were intended to support jewellery exports, were instead sold to an Ahmedabad-based firm, Deep Exports, at a premium. The firm used them to import gold without paying duty, causing a loss of ₹1.44 crore to the Indian exchequer.  Track Bharat Bandh LIVE Updates 

 

Brothers convicted, Monika Kapoor fled to the US

While her brothers were eventually convicted by a Delhi court in 2017, Kapoor avoided the investigation and trial as she had fled to the US in 1999. The case was registered in 2002, with a chargesheet filed in 2004 upon the completion of the investigation. 

 

Kapoor was declared a proclaimed offender in 2006, and a non-bailable arrest warrant and Interpol Red Corner Notice were subsequently issued against her.

 

Extradition battle lasted over a decade

The government formally requested her extradition in October 2010 under the Indo-US Extradition Treaty. The extradition process, delayed by multiple legal challenges, gained momentum earlier this year.

 

Kapoor contested her return, citing the risk of torture and invoking provisions under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and the US Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act (FARRA), 1998. Her claims were ultimately dismissed, and in March 2025, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld her extradition. The US Secretary of State later issued a surrender warrant, allowing Indian authorities to take custody.

 

Monika Kapoor to face trial in India

A CBI team took custody of Kapoor in the US. The American Airlines flight AA 292 carrying Kapoor and the agency sleuths is expected to land in India on Wednesday night.

 

“The extradition marks a major breakthrough in the pursuit of justice and reiterates CBI’s commitment to bringing fugitives to face the law in India, irrespective of international boundaries,” the CBI said in an official statement.

 

(With PTI inputs)