India and the UK have signed two agreements on return of Indians, who are living in Britain as illegal migrants, and sharing criminal records and intelligence. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed by UK’s Minister of Immigration Caroline Nokes and India’s Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Thursday. The new deals reflect increased co-operation between the two countries, which already enjoy a close relationship, according to a British government release issued here today. “The MoU on criminal records exchange will lead to British and Indian law enforcement bodies sharing criminal records information, fingerprints and intelligence,” the statement said. This will assist the police in protecting the public from known criminals, including sex offenders and also allow the courts in both countries to access more information to support tougher sentencing decisions. The agreement on returns paves the way for a quicker and more efficient process for documenting and returning Indian nationals who have no right to be in the UK to India, it said. This has proven difficult in the past due to some Indians not having the required paperwork or travel documentation for them to be accepted back in their home country. The official release added that the agreement commits both countries to taking a more flexible approach to verifying the identity and nationality of individuals, which will help speed up the returns process. “I was very pleased to welcome the Indian Home Affairs Minister to the UK. The agreements we’ve signed cover the important issues of returns and criminal records exchanges to the mutual benefit of both countries,” Nokes said. “The minister’s (Rijiju’s) visit forms part of our ongoing dialogue and demonstrates the strong and positive relationship between our two nations,” she was quoted as saying in the statement.