Headquarters of the Central Office for Investigation (CBI). | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena
In separate cases, the Central Investigation Office (CBI) issued an Interpol’s silver announcement against two persons accused of their involvement in fraud in visas and the creation of unauthorized cryptocurrencies, through which about 113.10 GBPs were collected from investors.
The silver announcement was launched by Interpol in January 2025 as part of the pilot phase including 51 countries and territories. The new color announcement allows sharing notifications and requests for information on assets of wanted criminals around the world will take place at least until November 2025. Within the program, each country can get nine silver notifications.
India has so far submitted applications for the publication of silver silver notifications in cases that have been examined by CBI, the Directorate for the Enforcement of Law and the Office for Support of the narcotics.
23rd May against Shokeen Shaubham, the then personnel and local embassy in Delhi, which allegedly committed a visa fraud, released the first Indian silver announcement. It is said that from September 2019 to May 2022, he has been conspired with other accused persons and facilitated the issuance of Schengen visa to the applicants by collecting illegal satisfaction from 15 lakh to 45 ₹ Lakh on the candidate, the agency said.
“It has received six real estate worth 7,760,500 dirhams (15,73,51,250 GBP) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, using crime income. Previously, the CBI also received a blue announcement published against the same subject to hitchhike.
In December 2022, CBI registered the case against Mr. Shokeen and Aarti Mandala, who previously worked as local lawyers at the French Ambassador’s Visa Department; Manpreet Singh; and the alleged recipients, Vajot Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Chetan Sharma and Satwinder Singh Purewal from Pandjab.
During the inspection period, Mr. Shaubham processed 324 files and Mrs. Mandal 160 files related to Visa applications. Of these 64, it was not possible to trace and mostly associated with individuals with a “high risk of migration”, including young farmers or unemployed people from Panjab.
In the latter case, a silver announcement against AMIT Madanlal Lakhanpal was issued on the ED application. He was accused of creating a cryptocurrency called MTC, which is not recognized in India, and attracts people to invest about 113.10 GBP in it without prior permission and license from the government or the Indian reserve bank. He allegedly presented as an authorized representative of the Ministry of Finance to gain the confidence of potential investors.
The accused had embezzled funds and escaped. “Silver notifications were published for the identification, localization, acquisition and tracking of assets of the subject worldwide. Previously, it was also published by an red notification via Interpol,” CBI said.
Published – May 27, 2025 22:35
