Date:06/03/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/03/06/stories/2003030607341300.htm

National

Salem deportation: Portugal asks for formal letter

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 5. The Portugal Government has asked India to write a formal letter seeking deportation of the underworld don, Abu Salem, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, told the Rajya Sabha today.

Responding to supplementaries during question hour, Mr. Advani said the Government in Lisbon had said it was willing to "hand him over under our laws."

Earlier, in response to a question on the number of criminals escaping abroad after committing crime, the Minister of State for Home, I.D. Swami, said in a written reply that 166 criminals were likely to be in hiding in other countries. He said countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Malaysia, Canada and Germany, have been contacted for their extradition. In addition, the Pakistan Government was also contacted and given a list of 20 fugitives on December 31, 2001, with the request to hand them over for trial in different courts of law, he said.