NEW DELHI (TIP): Armed with new powers, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received at least 34 requests from various countries to probe Indians who have taken refuge in India after committing crime abroad and cannot be extradited because of limitations of bilateral treaties.

Centre has recently made CBI the nodal agency to probe and prosecute Indians here who have come back from abroad after committing crime but cannot be extradited because of limitations in mutual treaties.

They could also not be tried in India as the crime has been committed outside the jurisdiction of Indian agencies, CBI sources said.

India has extradition treaties with 39 countries of which 21 bar extradition of their own nationals to the countries where the crime has been committed.

“We do not extradite Indian nationals to countries like Bulgaria, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Portugal, Vietnam, etc for being tried there because of extradition conditions with these countries,” an official said, adding that arrangement is mutual.

The sources said the only condition for such prosecution is that the offence for which they have been charged with should be cognisable offence in India too.

“The Central government has empowered and extended the jurisdiction of members of Delhi Special Police Establishment (CBI) under Section 5 of the DSPE Act to investigate and prosecute the offences as described under Section four of IPC i.e the offences committed outside territorial jurisdiction of India referred by the Central government from time to time,” an official told PTI.