India and the US have launched the first in a series of measures to crack down on offshore tax evasion, as cash-strapped global governments pull together in a bid to raise billions through unearthing hidden funds.

A team of seven investigators drawn from India’s Union Finance Ministry and the country’s Income Tax Directorate of Criminal Investigation which launched in May, are meeting for a week in Savannah, Georgia, where they will chart out plans for an effective cooperation in cracking down on tax evasion, according to a report in the Times of India.

The Indian team will meet US officials at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia where they will undergo a training program as part of the DCI's efforts to tackle wealthy tax dodgers. 

At FLETC, officers will take the Criminal Investigator Training Programme provided by the US' Internal Revenue Service. This will be followed by the DCI team's one-on-one with officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the International Law Enforcement Academies and some other federal intelligence agencies for exchange of information and future cooperation, said the report in the Times of India.

It is the latest sign of India stepping up pressure on tax evaders. A report published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development last week after the G20 summit at Cannes, showed that India has more than doubled its requests to obtain classified funds information from tax havens and other countries in the last two years.

The progress report, presented by OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria to G20 heads and published on the OECD website, said: "China and India provide examples of how economies in transition are using these new agreements. Since 2009, the number of information requests to foreign authorities in connection with tax examinations and investigations has almost doubled in China and more than doubled in India."

During the last two years India has negotiated 19 new double taxation avoidance agreements and 17 new tax information exchange agreements. India has also renegotiated the terms of existing DTAAs.

India became a full-member of global economic body the Financial Action Task Force last year and strengthened its Financial Intelligence Unit to detect suspicious transactions in economic channels, which will also help its relationships with other global governments.

"A very significant proportion of investment flowing into India, Russia and China is routed through low tax jurisdictions," the report said, adding that India is "actively participating" in the global efforts to enhance cooperation between tax authorities and law enforcement agencies to filter out financial crimes and illicit flows.

Last Thursday the Paris-based think-tank said that a tougher crackdown on tax evasion by the world's richest individuals could raise as much as $100 billion in tax revenue for cash-strapped governments. 

A survey of 20 countries conducted by the OECD showed that measures to deter tax evasion have paid off - raising over $19 billion within the past two years, said the report.