04 November 2004	Thursday	20 Ramazan 1425

NEW DELHI: India and Nepal have mooted an idea of a regional police co-ordination body, Saarc Pol (Saarc Police), for the seven member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The idea is to make this body work like the Interpol (International Police Organization).

At present, 181 countries are member of the Interpol which is an international body for ensuring co-operation in dealing with crimes transcending national boundaries.

The concept of the Saarc Pol was discussed in the meeting of the Interpol officers of India and Nepal on Tuesday.

"Representatives from both the countries felt that there was an urgent need for a regional co-ordination body like Saarc Pol (Saarc Police) to be set up. They agreed that respective governments would be appraised of this emerging need so that the issue can be taken up at the Saarc level," said a senior CBI official.

The meeting was attended by a seven-member Nepalese delegation led by Kumar Koirala. The Indian side was represented by deputy director (coordination) of the CBI, P. Kamaraj, and assistant director, Interpol (India) Paresh Saxena besides senior officials from the ministry of external affairs and home affairs.

"In the context of having a regional police coordination body, both India and Nepal Interpol officials felt the need for joint interrogation and joint investigation in the cases relating to organized crime across all the seven member countries of the Saarc," said the official.

It was decided in the meeting that the concerned authorities in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives would be asked to share their views over the concept of the Saarc Pol.

The delegates had suggested number of steps to tackle the menace of organized crimes in India and Nepal and expressed the need to extend it in the remaining countries of the Saarc through an agreement.

The director, CBI and head of Interpol, India, US Misra, who inaugurated the meeting on Monday, suggested the creation of a "core group" to tackle organized crime and fugitives in India and Nepal in a coordinated manner.-By arrangement with AsianAge/New Delhi.