CBI Trains Mauritius Officers in Financial, Cybercrime Investigation

India has stepped up its law-enforcement cooperation with Mauritius with a specialised training programme aimed at strengthening the island nation’s ability to investigate financial crimes and cyber-enabled offences, as criminal networks increasingly exploit digital systems and cross-border financial channels.

The CBI Academy conducted the two-week programme for officers of Mauritius’ Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) from August 10 to 21, focusing on investigation techniques, cyber-enabled offences and challenges associated with digital and financial crimes. The programme concluded at CBI headquarters in New Delhi on Friday and was presided over by CBI Director Praveen Sood, who had earlier served as Police Adviser to the Mauritius government from 1999 to 2002.

During his interaction with the participants, Sood discussed the growing cybercrime threat in India and Mauritius, its underlying causes and the difficulties faced by investigators. Discussions also covered ways to mitigate cybercrime, areas of mutual interest and common challenges, with particular emphasis on making cross-border investigations faster and more effective.

The training comes as Mauritius intensifies its financial-crime enforcement. During April-June 2026, the FCC opened 47 new cases and made 14 arrests linked to fraud and money laundering. It also attached assets worth MUR 82.9 million in fraud cases and sold 69 confiscated and seized assets for MUR 33.436 million through its first public auction. The FCC also dismantled an electronic fraud network targeting victims through online banking and digital payment platforms.

For India, the initiative complements wider efforts to strengthen responses to cyber-enabled financial fraud, including greater coordination between financial-intelligence and cybercrime institutions.

The programme was conducted under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, one of India’s key capacity-building initiatives. Established in 1964, ITEC has trained more than 200,000 officials from over 160 countries, while nearly 9,000 professionals participated in courses during 2025-26.

The initiative underscores India and Mauritius’ shared focus on building stronger investigative capabilities against increasingly transnational financial and cybercrime networks.