Mumbai Police turns to Look Out Circulars (LOC) to nab international flyers accused of slandering citizens; for years, the term LOC conjured images of sensational cases involving business tycoons accused of bank fraud, or international fugitives, and organised crime figures.
The Mumbai Police have begun to use Look Out Circulars (LOC) as a new policing tool that intimates them any time someone with an FIR against them enters the city via air. PIC/GETTY IMAGES
When a UK-based doctor and social media influencer, Sangram Patil, was stopped at Mumbai airport earlier this year in connection with allegedly objectionable online content, it underlined a shift in how Mumbai Police are responding to crimes committed from beyond India’s borders. The intervention at the airport was not dramatic, nor out of the ordinary for investigators, but it highlighted the police’s intention of implementing the familiar mechanism of the Look Out Circular (LOC), sans the pomp and show it is normally associated with.
Traditionally associated with high-profile economic offenders and fugitives who flee the country after large-scale frauds, LOCs are now being increasingly used in cases involving digital crimes, both civil and criminal crimes — that include social media posts, threat emails and online communications — where the accused may be physically located overseas but legally answerable in India.
From financial fugitives to digital accused
For years, the term LOC conjured images of sensational cases involving business tycoons accused of bank fraud, or international fugitives, and organised crime figures. Names like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi are synonymous with the mechanism that alerts immigration authorities when an accused enters or attempts to leave the country.
A LOC is passive but persistent; police are alerted via agencies when a culprit, who has committed a civil or criminal act against a resident Indian, enters the country. Illustration/Uday Mohite
Senior Mumbai Police officers observe that while the legal framework for LOCs has remained untouched, it is the nature of cases in which they are invoked that has seen a strategic change.
“In major economic offences, accused persons usually know the inner workings of a system well. They anticipate an LOC and take steps accordingly,” an officer familiar with the process explained. “But in cases linked to online behaviour — posts, emails or threats — many accused underestimate the consequences,” further adds the official. It is this arrogance of beating the system, police say, that has made LOCs particularly effective in cases involving digital offences.
The digital trail that leads back home
Mumbai Police are increasingly dealing with cases where alleged offences originate online but have real-world consequences — threats sent via email, provocative content posted on social media, or messages aimed at public figures. Often, the sender is traced to an overseas location, with the perpetrator working under the assumption that physical distance will guarantee protection.
Once an FIR is registered, however, investigators rely on technical tools — IP analysis, platform-level data, email headers and coordination with service providers — to identify suspects. After identity is established, the question becomes one of timing: when will the accused return to India? That is where the LOC comes in. Unlike arrest warrants that require active execution, an LOC lies in wait. It does not chase the accused; it waits for them.
How an LOC actually works
A Look Out Circular is issued to immigration authorities across all ports of entry and exit—airports, seaports and land borders. It carries specific instructions based on the nature of the case and the stage of investigation.
Another case
In one instance, Mumbai Crime Branch investigators traced threatening emails sent to a political figure’s family member to a man working in the Caribbean. An LOC was issued soon after an FIR was registered.
Months later, when the accused landed in Mumbai, immigration authorities flagged the alert, leading to his arrest before he could leave the airport premises. Subsequent investigation revealed that similar threats had been sent to other public figures as well.
In another case, threatening emails directed at a Bollywood actor were traced to a student studying abroad. An LOC was issued, ensuring that whenever the accused returns to India, authorities are alerted. “These are not cases where we know when the person will return,” an officer said. “But the system ensures we are notified the moment they do,” they added.
Why are online offenders often caught off guard?
Police officials note a recurring pattern: individuals accused of online offences often assume that distance equals immunity.
“There is a belief that if time passes, the case will lose momentum,” a senior officer explained. “But an LOC does not expire quietly. It stays in the system.”
This persistence has proven critical in digital-era policing, where offences may be committed in seconds but investigations stretch across jurisdictions and time zones.
Deterrence beyond arrests
While arrests are the most visible outcome, police stress that LOCs also serve as a deterrent to crime.
“The knowledge that an LOC can be issued even for online behaviour changes how people act,” an officer said. “It sends a message that digital anonymity does not override legal accountability,” they added.
Police also emphasise that LOCs are not issued casually. Each request must be supported by an FIR, detailed case grounds and approval from competent authorities.
A tool shaped for the digital age
For the Mumbai Police, the mechanism has become a way to bridge the gap between global digital activity and local legal accountability.
“Crimes today don’t respect geography,” an officer said.
“Our response cannot be limited by it either,” he added.
As digital footprints continue to expand and borders grow increasingly porous online, the Look Out Circular remains one of the few tools that ensures accountability waits patiently — right at the country’s gates.
A tool shaped for the digital age
As online platforms increasingly intersect with public order, security and personal safety.
For Mumbai Police, the mechanism has become a way to bridge the gap between global digital activity and local legal accountability.
“Crimes today don’t respect geography,” an officer said. “Our response cannot be limited by it either,” he added.
What the experts say
Nishant Salunke, Senior Cyber Forensic Expert
“Cyber offences are borderless, but digital actions always leave traceable forensic footprints, irrespective of where the offender is physically located. IP logs, device identifiers, email headers, account metadata and platform records allow investigators to establish attribution even when activity originates overseas.
Once attribution is confirmed and an FIR is registered, the passage of time or physical distance does not weaken the case. A Look Out Circular acts as an enforcement bridge, translating digital evidence into physical accountability at immigration checkpoints.
Unlike arrest warrants, an LOC is passive yet persistent, remaining active until formally withdrawn. Online offenders are frequently caught off guard because they assume overseas activity provides immunity from Indian law. Immigration-linked alerts enable real-time notification as the individual enters the country. LOCs are effective in cyber cases because the alerts are instantaneous. The mechanism reinforces deterrence by signalling that online behaviour carries real-world legal consequences.’
Police officials describe three broad operational LOC categories
Detain and inform: The person is detained on arrival, and police are alerted immediately.
Prevent and inform: The individual is stopped from leaving the country, and police are informed.
Inform only: Used mainly for monitoring travel movements, without alerting the individual.
Over the years, LOC rules have evolved. Earlier, standing LOCs had a limited validity period. Under revised norms, a standing LOC now remains active until formally withdrawn, ensuring that alerts continue even if investigators are transferred or cases remain pending for years.
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