The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a red notice against Benazir Ahmed, a former inspector general of police (IGP) during the Awami League regime.

"Interpol notified us about the issuance of a red notice against Benazir Ahmed recently," Enamul Haque Sagar, assistant inspector general (media) at the Police Headquarters (PHQ), told The Daily Star yesterday.

The notice was issued after the National Central Bureau (NCB) of the PHQ submitted a request to Interpol in February, following a directive from a Dhaka court based on an application by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said the police official.

According to the PHQ, the NCB has so far submitted requests for red notices against 12 individuals, including several top officials of the ousted Awami League government, such as former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former road transport minister Obaidul Quader.

The applications were submitted in three separate phases following the fall of the AL government on August 5 last year in the face of a student-led mass uprising.

AIG Sagar said Interpol is reviewing the requests concerning the remaining 11 individuals.

However, Benazir's name could not be found on the red notice list on Interpol's public website.

When asked about this, AIG Sagar explained that Interpol has strict regulations in place.

"One of Interpol's disclaimers states that 'the majority of red notices are restricted to law enforcement use only', which means they are not always visible to the public," he said.

According to sources, the ACC began investigating Benazir during the Awami League's tenure over allegations of corruption.

On May 4 last year, Benazir left the country with his wife and children while the investigation was still ongoing.

Benazir, who also served as the director general of the Rapid Action Battalion, is still on the run with his family. While his exact location remains unknown, officials believe that the red notice will help trace him, paving the way for his arrest and extradition.

On February 20, the ACC filed a case against Benazir and his wife, Jissan Mirza, accusing them of amassing a large amount of illegal wealth and laundering money.

PHQ sources said that the other nine individuals against whom red notices were sought are: former liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque; former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud; former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan; former textiles and jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak; former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury; former mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh; Major General (retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the defence adviser to the former prime minister; former state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid; and former state minister for information Mohammad Ali Arafat.

The NCB made the requests after the prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) asked the home ministry to seek red notices against them.

The ICT prosecution disclosed the move on April 10.