Arrested 380 in the last three years, followed by hundreds of others wanted for serious crimes residing in the Gulf and Europe
Punjab Police. PHOTO: FILE
A high-octane criminal chase looks exciting on a bigger cinema screen. In reality, such efforts carried out by a moneyed economy only push the nation further towards bankruptcy.
According to documents obtained by Express PakinomistPunjab police are currently pursuing hundreds of criminals wanted for serious offenses such as murder, terrorism, extortion and targeted killings. These offenders reside in countries including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Libya, while some are hiding in various European countries.
To extradite a fugitive costs the government between Rs 300,000 and Rs 500,000. Over Rs 230 million has already been spent to bring back criminals from abroad. More than 5,000 declared offenders are said to have fled abroad.
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Over the past three years, over 380 refugees have been arrested abroad and repatriated: 147 in 2023, 129 in 2024 and 103 until November 2025. Most of these arrests took place in the Middle East.
Former IG Police and Railway Police Asif Nawaz Warraich explained that many refugees escaped the country illegally, making their capture a challenging task. “Most of the absconders abroad are from Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, though others from different regions are also included. With the current digitization drive and the creation of a proper database, it will become increasingly difficult for criminals to escape in the future,” Warraich said.
In contrast, former Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Pakistan, Syed Tehseen Anwar Ali Shah, expressed disappointment over the poor performance of the police, which allowed suspects to escape in the first place.
“It is only when suspects have left the country that the police approach the FIA for their travel history. Investigating officers often spend months or even years without making any progress, and it is only when another agency discovers that the suspect has fled that the police and related departments step in. The police must improve their investigative mechanisms and utilize modern technology to arrest fugitives in the country,” Shah said.
A police officer, who has brought back many refugees from the Middle East and Europe, claimed that the government paid for their plane tickets, while the rest of the expenses were borne by the police team from their own pockets. “Once a fugitive is taken into Interpol custody, return to Pakistan generally takes three to five days. Extradition of a fugitive is a tough and demanding job and government support is essential for the teams involved,” the officer added.
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On the other hand, Professor Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Administrative Sciences at the University of Punjab, suggested that investigative funds of millions of rupees provided to the police should be reviewed to ensure proper utilization.
“Until the investigation system is improved, the culprits will continue to flee abroad and the police will spend millions of rupees to arrest them. If the same amount is spent on improving the police system, crimes can be contained within the country and offenders can be brought to justice without spending huge sums on their arrest,” Chaudhry said. He further suggested that the government should reconsider the allocation of funds to the police, as these funds are often misused for political purposes rather than system improvement.
Conversely, a Punjab Police spokesperson claimed that serious efforts were being made in collaboration with FIA, Interpol and other departments to bring back criminals involved in major offences. “Over the past three years, hundreds of such criminals have been brought back from the Middle East, Europe and other regions through Interpol,” the official said.
