Context-Recently INTERPOL has issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi's brother Nehal in connection with the multi-billion dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.

Interpol

•  International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is an inter-governmental organization. It have 194 member countries, and  help police to work together to make the world a safer place.
• To do this, it enable them to share and access data on crimes and criminals, and  offer a range of technical and operational support.

Who makes up INTERPOL?

• The General Secretariat coordinates our day-to-day activities to fight a range of crimes. Run by the Secretary General, it is staffed by both police and civilians and comprises a headquarters in Lyon, a global complex for innovation in Singapore and several satellite offices in different regions.
• In each country, an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) provides the central point of contact for the General Secretariat and other NCBs. An NCB is run by national police officials and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing.
• The General Assembly is our governing body and it brings all countries together once a year to take decisions.

Role

• It connect all our countries via a communications system called I-24/7. Countries use this secure network to contact each other, and the General Secretariat. It also allows them to access our databases and services in real-time, from both central and remote locations.
• It also coordinate networks of police and experts in different crime areas, who come together through working groups and at conferences to share experiences and ideas.
• It provides a range of expertise and services to our member countries. It manage 17 police databases with information on crimes and criminals (from names and fingerprints to stolen passports), accessible in real-time to countries.
• It offer investigative support such as forensics, analysis, and assistance in locating fugitives around the world. Training is an important part of what we do in many areas so that officials know how to work efficiently with our services.
• This expertise supports national efforts in combating crimes across three global areas we consider the most pressing today; terrorism, cybercrime and organized crime.

INTERPOL Notices

• INTERPOL Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.
• Notices are published by the General Secretariat at the request of a National Central Bureau and are made available to all our member countries. Notices can also be used by the United Nations, International Criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Court to seek persons wanted for committing crimes within their jurisdiction, notably genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity

Types of Notice

• Red Notice: To seek the location and arrest of wanted persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
• Yellow Notice: To help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.
• Blue Notice: To collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.               
• Black Notice: To seek information on unidentified bodies.
• Green Notice: To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
• Orange Notice: To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety.
• Purple Notice: To seek or provide information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals.

Criteria for Notices 

• A Notice is only published if it complies with INTERPOL’s Constitution and fulfils all conditions for processing the information as defined by our Rules on the Processing of Data. This ensures the legality and quality of information, and the protection of personal data.
• For example, a Notice will not be published if it violates Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution, which forbids the Organization from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.
• The legal basis for a Red Notice is an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the country concerned. Many of our member countries consider a Red Notice to be a valid request for provisional arrest.
• Any individual who is subject to an INTERPOL Notice should be considered innocent until proven guilty