The United Arab Emirates has 188 outstanding red notices on Interpol's website, of which 57 warrants are for Indians.

A red notice means Interpol will assist local officers in apprehending a suspect with a view to extradition.

Rachael Billington, a spokesman for Interpol, said the heavy use of public warrants reflected the UAE's confidence in the organisation.

'The fact that the UAE has so many notices is an indication of their commitment to Interpol.'

Nineteen warrants are for Pakistanis and 15 for Egyptians.

Only one Emirati is on the public list: Jabelas Keeshor Burjraj, 44, who was born in India but is now wanted for fraud by the UAE, said a media report.

Mubarak al Khaili, Interpol's assistant director for the Middle East and North Africa, and a former Abu Dhabi police officer, says with a large expatriate community and an abundance of wealth, the UAE has become a profitable target for international criminals.

'The majority of red notices are concerning financial crime. That means in the UAE, we don't have serious crime,' Khaili told the National daily.

'We have had a lot of cases already of people being arrested and extradited. The UAE doesn't want anybody wanted in other countries to stay in our country,' he added.

Santosh Madhavan [Images], an Indian astrologer and guru wanted by police for cheating a Dubai woman of $109 was arrested on May 13.

Although Madhavan was the subject of a red notice, Maj Gen Khamis Mattar al Mazeina, the deputy commandant general of Dubai Police, said the Emirate would not move to extradite him as he was an Indian wanted for crimes there.

'But we will be seeking compensation and damages for the time and money we have put into capturing this man, as well as compensation for the victim,' he said.