380 people arrested in the last three years, pursuing hundreds of others wanted for serious crimes residing in the Gulf and Europe
Punjab Police. PHOTO: FILE
A high-octane crime chase looks thrilling on a larger-than-life movie screen. In reality, however, such efforts by a cash-strapped economy only push the country further toward bankruptcy.
According to documents obtained by The Express PK Press ClubPunjab police are currently pursuing hundreds of criminals wanted for serious crimes such as murder, terrorism, extortion and targeted killings. These offenders reside in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Libya, while some are hiding in various European countries.
Extraditing a fugitive costs the government between Rs 300,000 and Rs 500,000. More than Rs 230 million has already been spent to bring back criminals from abroad. According to some reports, more than 5,000 registered offenders have fled abroad.
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Over the past three years, more than 380 fugitives have been arrested abroad and repatriated: 147 in 2023, 129 in 2024 and 103 through November 2025. Most of these arrests took place in the Middle East.
Former IG and Railway Police officer Asif Nawaz Warraich said many fugitives fled the country illegally, making their capture a difficult task. “Most of the absconders abroad are from Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, although others from different regions are also included. With the current digitalization drive and creation of a proper database, it will become increasingly difficult for criminals to escape in future,” Warraich said.
On the other hand, former Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan, Syed Tehseen Anwar Ali Shah, expressed disappointment over the poor performance of the police, which allowed the suspects to flee.
“It is only when the suspects have left the country that the police contact the FIA to know their travel history. Investigators often spend months or even years without making any progress, and it is only when another agency finds out that the suspect has fled that the police and relevant agencies come into action. The police need to improve their investigation mechanisms and take advantage of modern technology to arrest fugitives inside the country,” Shah said.
A police officer, who brought back many fugitives from the Middle East and Europe, claimed that the government paid for their air tickets, while the rest of the expenses were borne by the police team from its own pockets. “Once a fugitive is taken into Interpol custody, the return to Pakistan usually takes three to five days. Extraditing a fugitive is a difficult and demanding job, and government support is crucial for the teams involved,” the officer added.
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On the other hand, Dean of Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Punjab University, Prof. Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, suggested that investigation funds amounting to millions of rupees provided to the police be audited to ensure their 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 used to improve the police system, crimes can be contained within the country and offenders can be brought to justice without spending large sums on their arrest,” Chaudhry said. He further suggested that the government reconsider the allocation of funds to the police as these funds are often misused for political purposes rather than improving the system.
Conversely, a Punjab Police spokesperson said that serious efforts were being made in collaboration with the FIA, Interpol and other departments to bring back criminals involved in major crimes. “Over the past three years, hundreds of these criminals have been brought back from the Middle East, Europe and other regions via Interpol,” the official said.
