New Delhi: Discussions with the CBI director on extradition and cybercrime cooperation, a session with the NIA chief on key terrorism cases, meetings with the director of the Intelligence Bureau and the national security adviser, and a visit to the Delhi Police headquarters — all this is in the schedule for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Christopher Wray’s visit to India next week, ThePrint has learnt.
While the visit is taking place under the shadow of the Pannun affair, it’s not hush-hush, unlike the earlier visits by the CIA chief and the director of national intelligence.
According to an authoritative source in the security establishment, Wray’s visit was planned “well in advance” and had been in the schedule of the directors of the investigation agencies since May this year.
The source added that one of the key items on the agenda for the FBI director’s visit Monday and Tuesday is to facilitate “information sharing on China’s deep state and its assets in India” that is crucial for “both countries”.
“China is a key issue that is to be discussed in this visit besides other things. The US will be sharing dossiers, information on China’s deep state and its assets in India. The agenda also includes assessing preparedness for potential threats from China. This is critical to both nations and our interests align in this area,” the source said.
Moreover, the US indictment of an Indian national and the alleged involvement of an Indian government official in an assassination plot against wanted Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is likely to be another key issue to be taken up with the Government of India.
India has established an enquiry committee to investigate these claims and has vowed to take the necessary follow-up action based on its findings.
The issue was discussed during US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer’s visit to Delhi last week, where he held talks with senior Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
The matter of the foiled “assassination plot” was reportedly raised by top US security officials with their Indian counterparts’ months before the indictment was unsealed.
Central Intelligence Agency Director William J. Burns and the US’s Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, had also travelled to India in August and October, respectively, to demand a probe.
Wray will be accompanied by the FBI legal attache team, US Embassy personnel, and key law enforcement officials.
‘Gangster nexus, cybercrime, informal channels’
While the CBI, which is the nodal agency of Interpol in India, will take up the issue of pending extraditions of gangsters and criminals back to India, besides strengthening the “informal channel” between the two countries, the NIA will discuss gangsters running operations from the USA and the evidence against Pannun, ThePrint has learnt.
In the past year, numerous unsuspecting individuals have fallen victim to online fraud cases under investigation by the CBI. These include cash-for-job scams and call-centre scams targeting US citizens.
According to CBI sources, such cases represent one of the biggest “cyber-enabled money-laundering frauds” in India as it is a highly intricate racket involving multiple layers and advanced technology. Several operations by Indian agencies are being done in collaboration with the US’s FBI to counter this menace.
“We have been working in close coordination with each other on the cybercrime aspect and with this meeting, the aim is to make it more robust. Moreover, because of increased cooperation with countries, the CBI has been able to bring 49 fugitives involved in serious cases back to India in the last one year. So, a key area of discussion will be increased cooperation in expediting extradition requests and opening of informal channels for quick redressal,” a source said.
For NIA, the key focus will be sharing details of “Khalistani terrorists”, and the operation of the gangster nexus from US soil, the source said.
“Dossiers of these gangsters and terrorists have been shared with the US authorities in the past as well. However, this time key evidence on gangsters and designated terrorists including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his associates will be shared with them,” a second source said.