Indian Fugitives in England

Britain once upon a time looted greater part of the world of their treasures, all the wealth was taken from India and brought to Britain. So, if you see the GDP of India 300 years ago, India was the richest country in the world and Britain the poorest and then when they colonized India then Britain became the richest and India the poorest country in the world. Still, this is happening now criminals steal all the money from India and then go and enjoy amnesty in Britain.

Most countries are very, very reluctant to accept foreign criminals inside their borders. But Britain attracts criminals, after all it was home to the greatest criminals the world has seen, the British Empire (specifically the East India Company). Rich fraudsters often go to Britain so that they may use the legal system to evade extradition. London used to be the global hub of black money, London’s top banks use to accept any body’s money. Britain thrives at the expense of other countries. Now this is true about Switzerland, Cayman islands also, all illegal money stored in these cash havens and no questions are asked. England gives amnesty to all criminal who come from any country. There are no questions asked to people seeking refuge all they have to just say that they will be persecuted in home country. As a result, its is filled with radicals, criminals from all over the world.

The British government is very clever in looking the other way which makes the Britain a safe abode for absconders and fugitives. It is the top choice of all absconders and fugitives, statistics show that from 2013 till now more than 5500 Indians have taken shelter in the Britain, although not all are criminals. But a number of well known, lesser-known absconders and fugitives from India has taken shelter in Britain. India and Britain had signed the extradition treaty in 1992 and Britain had extradited just 1 offender so far namely; Indian Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel in 2016, after which Britain has not extradited any fugitive to India.

The perpetrators of India hide in the Britain because the legal system in India and Britain is almost identical (legacy of 200 years of British rule), slow and foolish. The British Human Rights Commission is considered to be very strict and it protects the interest of every individual residing in its territory (Forget Slavery and the Raj rule). This protection is being misused by the offenders.

The British courts and the government have been adamantly defying the legal course by not giving their rightful custody to the Indian side. Not only the economic offenders but several other dangerous criminals including those charged with military espionage have been sheltered in the Britain.

Some of them who have taken shelter in UK are, underworld don Mohammad Umerji Patel @ Tiger Hanif, Mohammad Sidiq, business tycoon Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi, Mohammad Sheikh, Child abductor Rajesh Kapoor and his sister Seema Kapoor, Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, Nadeem Akhtar Saifi, Sanjeev Kumar Chawla, Paul Samuel, Kartik Venugopalan, Raminder Singh, Aman Vyas, Mohammad Abdul Sakur, Yashbir Singh Solanki (Retired Wing Commander, IAF) along with his daughter Smriti Solanki (Franklin), Ravi Shankaran (Retired Lt. Commander, Indian Navy), Gangster Kapil Sangwan and the list is endless.

There are a few key reasons why many absconders and fugitives from India have historically sought shelter in the United Kingdom:

1.????? Colonial Ties: Britain and India have a long history of colonial ties, with the UK ruling India for nearly 200 years until the country's independence in 1947. This has resulted in strong legal, political, and cultural connections between the two countries and a natural attraction to English Sahibs.

2.????? Extradition Challenges: Extraditing individuals from the Britain to India has often been challenging, due to differences in legal systems and human rights concerns. Britain has historically been more hesitant to extradite individuals to India, especially if they face the possibility of harsh sentences or poor prison conditions. While the laws in India were made by British, but there are stark differences between the provisions and implementation of law in two countries.

3.????? Indian Diaspora: Britain is home to a large Indian diaspora, including many wealthy and influential individuals. This provides a network of potential contacts and resources that absconding individuals can tap into for support and shelter. Most wealthy Indian or business tycoons were all either beneficiaries of British kindness for acting against India or used unethical practices to earn money.

4.????? Perception of Rule of Law: There is a perception, whether accurate or not, that the Britain has a more robust system of rule of law and independent judiciary compared to the Indian legal system. This may make Britain an attractive destination for those seeking to evade the Indian justice system.

5.????? Language and Cultural Familiarity: The shared history, language (English), and cultural ties between Britain and India make Britain a more comfortable and familiar destination for many Indian absconders and fugitives.

The Indian and British governments have taken several steps in recent years to improve extradition cooperation and reduce the issue of Indian absconders and fugitives seeking refuge in Britain:

1.????? Strengthening Extradition Treaty: In 1992, India and Britain signed an Extradition Treaty to facilitate the mutual return of fugitives. This treaty has been periodically reviewed and updated to address loopholes.

2.????? Increased Coordination: The two countries have established dedicated mechanisms like the India-UK Joint Working Group on Criminal Matters to enhance information-sharing, intelligence cooperation, and case-specific collaboration on extradition requests.

3.????? Legislative Reforms: India has amended its Extradition Act to streamline the process and make it more efficient. Britain has also updated its Extradition Act to address concerns around human rights protections.

4.????? High-Profile Extradition Cases: The governments have worked to expedite high-profile extradition cases, such as that of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and cricket administrator Lalit Modi, sending a strong signal about their commitment to the process.

5.????? Prisoner Transfer Agreement: In 2019, India and Britain signed a Bilateral Prisoner Transfer Agreement to allow convicted individuals to serve their sentences in their home country.

6.????? Diplomatic Pressure: Both sides have exerted diplomatic pressure on each other to fulfil extradition requests, with India highlighting the issue during high-level bilateral meetings.

7.????? Enhancing Evidence-Sharing: Efforts have been made to strengthen the quality and timeliness of evidence-sharing between investigating agencies to make extradition cases more robust.

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It's important to note that the extradition process between Britain and India has evolved over time, and the two countries have worked to strengthen cooperation in this area. However, the factors mentioned above continue to contribute to Britain's status as a common refuge for those seeking to escape the Indian legal system.