This viral Interpol notice against Amit Shah is fake

What is the claim?

A photo purportedly issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) is circulating on social media, featuring a picture and the name of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. The photograph is accompanied by a claim that Shah has been added to "Interpol's wanted list."

The post surfaces amid recent allegations by a Canadian government minister that Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh separatists in Canada. India has since responded to the allegations, calling them "absurd and baseless."

The viral image displays text at the top that reads "INTERPOL WANTED," along with the name "Amit Anilchandra Shah," Age "60," and claims that he is wanted by "CANADA" for a "Murder Plot." 

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared this photo and wrote, "Credible sources have informed that Indian Home Minister *Amit Shah* has recently been added to *Interpol's wanted list*. Shah is in hot waters after Canada's Deputy Foreign Minister accused him of authorizing killing operations against Canadian Sikh nationals". An archived version of this post and other similar posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of similar claims. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, we found no evidence that Interpol has issued any such 'Wanted' notice against Shah.

What are the facts?

We searched using relevant keywords and could not find any credible reports suggesting that Interpol had issued a 'Wanted' notice against Shah. 

We then checked all Interpol's social media accounts and found no such notice. We also looked at the section about Red Notices issued by Interpol on its website but did not find any report or notice naming Shah. According to the website, A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. We also did not find Shah's name under Yellow Notices.

Moreover, on a general search, we found that a few results, including a report from 2019, carried Shah's name but none of them mentioned any arrest or notice issued to him, indicating that the viral notice is fake.

Screenshot of the search with the keywords on the Interpol website. (Source: Interpol/Modified by Logically Facts)

What discrepancies did we spot?

We noticed some differences between the viral image and genuine notices published by Interpol.

The authentic Interpol notices from 2019 display the individual's last name in uppercase letters, while the country name and other details are written in sentence-case format. In contrast, the country name is capitalized in the viral image, while the last name is in the title caps. Additionally, the reason for being wanted is in title caps in the viral image, unlike the genuine Interpol notices. 

A comparison between a fake image and a genuine Interpol 'Wanted' notice. (Source: X/Interpol/Modified by Logically Facts)

Further, recent social media posts from 2024 posted by Interpol on its Facebook and X accounts (archived here and here) show that the format for Red Notices is now different.

Screenshot of the latest Red Notice. (Source: X: Interpol/Modified by Logically Facts)

The India-Canada row

On October 14, 2024, Canada expelled several top Indian diplomats from the country, alleging that they were 'persons of interest' in the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023. In response, India also expelled six Canadian diplomats,  terming the action as a 'baseless targeting' of Indian officials.

Canadian authorities have claimed they have shared evidence with Indian authorities that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of Nijjar. Indian government officials have called such allegations absurd and denied that any evidence has been shared with them.

The verdict

A viral photo showing the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah, being wanted by Interpol is fake. No news report supports the claim that Shah has been included in the Wanted list, and no record of any such notice could be found on Interpol's official website.