India requests extradition of Hussain Shattaf to UAE; 25 fugitives were successfully extradited

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has sent the request of extradition process against fugitive Hussain Mohammed Shattaf, who is wanted in connection with the 2006 murder of Merchant Navy officer Captain Manmohan Singh Virdi in Lonavala, Maharashtra. MEA has confirmed that the ministry has forwarded the extradition request to the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week to expedite the matter. Responding to a query on whether a formal extradition request has been sent to the UAE for fugitive Hussain Shattaf, the MEA spokesperson said that the Government of India has initiated the extradition process. “The Government of India has initiated the formalities for extraditing the fugitive from the UAE,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told The Pioneer.

India remains firmly committed to bringing back fugitive and wanted criminals who have fled the country to face justice, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Speaking on the Government’s efforts, Jaiswal said all necessary steps are being taken to ensure the return of fugitives to India. “We remain fully committed to ensuring that individuals who are wanted by law in India are brought back to the country. For this purpose, we are in discussions with several governments and the processes are underway,” he said. He added that many such cases involve multiple layers of illegality, which often complicate proceedings. “Despite these challenges, we remain committed to bringing them back so that they can face trial before Indian courts,” the MEA spokesperson said.

On particularly fugitive and wanted Hussain Shattaf case MEA official said, “Extradition requests have been sent to the Indian Embassy in the UAE to expedite the matter.” Confirming that the process has formally been set in motion.

Hussain Shattaf faces charges of murder as well as multiple other criminal cases, including forgery and the use of fake documents to obtain a passport. Several cases have been registered against him by the Mumbai Police under various sections of law. Investigating agencies allege that after being charged in the murder case, Shattaf fled India and has been residing illegally in the UAE.

Meanwhile, authorities have been asked to verify the legality of his stay in the UAE after it emerged that his passport had expired. A notice issued by the Bombay High Court in 2024 stated that Hussain Mohammed Shattaf was issued a passport in 2019, which expired in 2021. The notice further mentioned that a remark was recorded in the system indicating that a “short-validity passport was issued due to a pending court case.”

According to the Bombay High Court, recently issued a notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding the delay in Shattaf’s extradition. The court directed the Government of Maharashtra to actively pursue the extradition of “criminal Hussain Mohammed Shattaf alias Hussain Mehboob Khokawala,” who is accused in the murder of Captain Manmohan Singh Virdi. The High Court noted that the Maharashtra Home Department had already forwarded an extradition proposal to the MHA through a communication dated October 31, 2025. However, the court observed that a response from the concerned department of the Government of India was still awaited. A photocopy of the October 31 communication was placed on record during the hearing. Sources in the MEA in New Delhi said the extradition mechanism is now moving forward.

When contacted, the UAE Embassy in New Delhi acknowledged the seriousness of the case but declined to comment further.

 Captain Manmohan Singh Virdi was murdered in Lonavala on May 14, 2006. Pune Police have issued a proclamation against Hussain Shattaf in the case, a fact confirmed by the Maval Court. In a separate matter, Mumbai’s Worli Police Station has issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) against him in connection with a passport forgery case. Police records further allege that Shattaf forged a marriage certificate and altered his name and parentage to obtain residency in the UAE. He is also accused of cheating and defrauding the Reserve Bank of India. In 2024, Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against him, formally declaring him a fugitive wanted for murder.

Shattaf has been involved in several legal proceedings over the years. In a significant 2023 judgment (Captain Manjit Singh Virdi vs Hussain Mohammed Shattaf), the Supreme Court set aside a Bombay High Court order that had discharged him, clarifying that at the stage of framing charges, courts are only required to assess whether a prima facie case exists, not to conduct a detailed evaluation of evidence. He has also faced passport-related litigation, with courts at times granting him permission to seek clearances in pending cases to renew his expired passport to facilitate his return to India from the UAE.

Earlier, following representations by the victim’s family, the MEA had informed them that the Indian Mission in the UAE had been asked to look into the matter. “Received mail regarding Manmohan Singh Virdi, who was murdered by Hussain Shattaf. After the Shattaf has absconded to the UAE. The Mission is requested to kindly look into the matter,” the MEA said in a communication to the victim's family. The family’s counsel has questioned the apparent lack of urgency in the case, pointing out that in another instance, the Luthra brothers were deported from Thailand within a week, while efforts to bring back Shattaf from the UAE have taken years.

With the Bombay High Court’s intervention, the Maharashtra Government’s proposal to the MHA, and the MEA’s confirmation that extradition proceedings are now active, the Virdi family says it is cautiously hopeful that the process will finally move forward, nearly two decades after the crime.

‘India Secures 25 Extraditions in 5 Years’

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed Parliament during the Winter Session 2025 that India had sent 137 extradition requests to foreign countries in the last five years. Of these, 134 were accepted, with 125 currently pending and only three rejected. During the same period, 25 fugitives were successfully extradited to India. He also stated that India received 108 extradition requests from foreign governments and extradited 10 fugitives to other countries in the last five years.