After two decades on the run, fugitive economic offender Monika Kapoor has been successfully extradited from the United States to India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced on Wednesday, marking a major breakthrough in a 2002 gold import-export fraud case.
Kapoor, proprietor of Monika Overseas, allegedly conspired with her brothers Rajan Khanna and Rajeev Khanna to forge export-related documents in 1998, including fake shipping bills, invoices, and bank certificates. Using these falsified records, they fraudulently obtained six replenishment licenses to import duty-free gold worth ₹2.36 crore, the agency said in a statement.
The licenses were sold at a premium to Deep Exports (Ahmedabad), which used them to import the gold, causing a loss of ₹1.44 crore to the Indian exchequer.
Following a CBI investigation, a chargesheet was filed in March 2004, and while her co-accused brothers were convicted in December 2017, Monika Kapoor evaded arrest, prompting the trial court to declare her a proclaimed offender in 2006 and issue an open non-bailable warrant and a Red Corner Notice in 2010.
A formal extradition request was made to U.S. authorities in October 2010. After persistent efforts and coordination with U.S. law enforcement, a CBI team travelled to the U.S. to take custody of Kapoor and is now returning with her to India.
She will be produced before the competent court and finally face trial after evading Indian law for nearly 20 years.
Calling it a “significant milestone,” the CBI reaffirmed its commitment to cracking down on economic offenders and ensuring that “fugitives are brought to justice, regardless of borders.”