INTERPOL Notices

A fugitive boards a flight from Delhi to Dubai. Indian police cannot cross the border after him. So they ask INTERPOL to send out a coloured alert, and 196 countries get the message.

Three questions guide this page. What can a notice do? What does each colour mean? And what is new, the Silver Notice and BHARATPOL?

1What is an INTERPOL notice, and what can it not do?

Imagine a fugitive who flees from Delhi to Dubai. Indian police cannot follow him across the border. They need a way to warn other countries.

That is what INTERPOL does. It sends colour-coded notices to its 196 member countries.

But INTERPOL has no police force. It cannot arrest anyone. A notice is only a request. Each country decides what to do with it, under its own law.

• Members: 196 countries.
• No police force, no arrest power.
• A notice is a request, not a warrant.
• Most notices come through each country’s National Central Bureau.

2What does each colour mean?

Each colour has one narrow job. Learn them as pairs.

• Red: find and arrest a wanted person, pending extradition.
• Yellow: find a missing person, often a minor.
• Blue: collect more information about a person.
• Black: information on unidentified bodies.
• Green: warn about a person who is a public-safety threat.
• Orange: warn of a serious, imminent threat.
• Purple: methods and tools criminals use.

There is also a ninth category, the INTERPOL–UN Security Council Special Notice. It covers people and groups under UN sanctions.

3What is the new Silver Notice?

Red Notices chase people. But criminals also hide money. The Silver Notice follows the money instead.

INTERPOL launched it as a pilot on 7 January 2025. It traces property, vehicles, bank accounts and businesses across borders. (Source: INTERPOL)

It began with 52 countries and a cap of 500 notices. By November 2025, 39 countries had issued 133 Silver Notices. They were linked to over €30 billion in suspected harm.

The pilot was then extended through the end of 2026. India’s Narcotics Control Bureau has issued the country’s first real Silver Notice, against a Dubai-based trafficker. (Source: Akashvani)

• Launched: 7 January 2025.
• Purpose: trace criminal assets.
• Pilot cap: 500 notices.
• Silver makes 8 colour notices plus the UN special one, 9 in all.

4What is India’s role, and what is BHARATPOL?

India joined INTERPOL in 1949. The Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI, is India’s National Central Bureau. It is the single contact point for all INTERPOL work.

On 7 January 2025, at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, India launched BHARATPOL. It is a CBI-built portal. It speeds up requests from Indian agencies for notices and cross-border help. (Source: PIB)

The portal has “Connect” and “Broadcast” modules. It targets trafficking, cyber fraud and terrorism.

• India joined: 1949.
• India’s NCB: CBI.
• BHARATPOL builder: CBI.
• Launched: 7 January 2025.

5What are the exam traps?

• Red Notice is not an arrest warrant.
• Black = bodies. Yellow = missing persons.
• Silver = assets, not people.
• Silver was launched in 2025 as a pilot.
• CBI is India’s NCB and built BHARATPOL.