59 Bangladeshis on Interpol's wanted list

There are 6,442 individuals listed as wanted worldwide on the Interpol website, including 59 Bangladeshis, according to a recent report by Bangla News.

The matter has come into the spotlight following the arrest of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed in the United Arab Emirates.

Officials said the number of Red Notice subjects is higher, but not all are published on the public list. A Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. Interpol does not publish all Red Notices to protect the confidentiality of sensitive investigations.

Interpol has 196 member countries, and its Red Notices are shared with law enforcement agencies of all member states.

Among the 59 wanted individuals, authorities in various countries — including the United States, India, the Maldives, Malaysia, South Africa and Belgium — are seeking them for alleged crimes committed in Bangladesh and abroad.

Several Bangladeshis are wanted by foreign countries for crimes including murder, fraud, and counterfeiting. Singapore is looking for Raju Dali from Chandpur over a murder case. Eswatini is searching for Md Milon and Liton Bepari from Dhaka in a murder case, while South Africa is looking for Mizan Mia from Noakhali for murder.

India is seeking Azizur Rahman, Ajoy Biswas, Tarikul Islam, Sabuj, Abdul Alim Sharif, Monir Bhuiyan and Shafikul for counterfeiting and other charges. Belgium is searching for Khorshed Alam from Lakshmipur in a murder case. Malaysia is looking for Siraj Mustafa from Natore for smuggling and Ala Uddin from Feni for murder. The Maldives is searching for Hanif in a theft case. The United States is seeking Zahidul Islam for sexual assault and Fazlul Amin Javed in an arms case.

The Bangladesh government is also seeking several individuals for crimes including murder, human trafficking, pornography, and fraud.