NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Queens, NY, July 9, 2025:After more than two decades on the run, Monika Kapoor, an Indian national wanted in a high-profile import-export fraud case, was extradited from the United States and brought to New Delhi on Tuesday. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) confirmed her arrival and said Kapoor will be produced before a Delhi court to face trial.
Kapoor, who lived in Jamaica, Queens in New York, had fled India in 1999 amid allegations that she masterminded a ₹2.36 crore duty-free gold import fraud using forged export documents. She was the proprietor of Monika Overseas, a firm accused of illegally obtaining replenishment licenses—permits that allow duty-free imports—by submitting fake shipping bills, invoices, and bankers’ export certificates. The scam reportedly caused a loss of ₹1.44 crore to the Indian government.
The case dates back to 2002, when the CBI began investigating the fraudulent issuance of six import licenses based on non-existent exports. Kapoor’s brothers, Rajan and Rajeev Khanna, were convicted in India in 2017. Kapoor, however, remained at large, prompting the issuance of a Red Corner Notice by Interpol in 2006.
The CBI formally requested Kapoor’s extradition from the U.S. in 2010 under the India-U.S. Extradition Treaty. After years of legal proceedings in American courts, a magistrate judge in Brooklyn certified her extraditable in 2012. Kapoor challenged the decision through multiple appeals, including a habeas corpus petition and a motion under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), claiming she would face mistreatment if returned to India. Her petition was denied, with the U.S. Secretary of State concluding there was no credible risk of torture.
In March 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the lower court’s ruling, stating that American courts do not have jurisdiction to review CAT claims in extradition cases due to the long-standing “rule of non-inquiry.” A temporary stay by the U.S. Supreme Court was lifted in May, paving the way for her return.
Kapoor was flown to India under CBI custody and is expected to be remanded for further investigation and judicial proceedings. Her extradition marks one of the rare instances where an economic offender has been successfully brought back to India after such an extended international legal battle.
