Haryana’s fugitive criminal Mainpal Dhilla brought back from Cambodia after seven years on the run

While serving a life sentence at Hisar Central Jail, Mainpal Dhilla was granted six weeks’ parole in 2018 but failed to return by the due date.

By: Express News Service

Chandigarh | Updated: September 3, 2025 03:55 PM IST

Mainpal Dhilla, also known as Mainpal Badli, a notorious criminal from Haryana who had been absconding for seven years, was brought back to India from Cambodia on Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Wednesday, adding that the repatriation was carried out in coordination with Haryana Police, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Dhilla had been convicted in 2013 for murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms, and criminal conspiracy, based on a 2007 FIR registered at the Sadar Bahadurgarh police station in Jhajjar. He had also been previously convicted in two other cases. While serving a life sentence at Hisar Central Jail, he was granted six weeks’ parole on July 17, 2018, but failed to return by the due date of August 29, 2018, and subsequently went underground, the CBI said.

In November 2024, the CBI issued a Red Corner Notice for Dhilla through Interpol at the request of the police. Investigations revealed that he had moved from Thailand to Cambodia, where he had entered using a fraudulently obtained passport under the alias Sonu Kumar. A provisional arrest request was sent to Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, in March 2025. On July 24, 2025, Cambodian authorities confirmed his arrest and sought a formal extradition request through diplomatic channels. They also informed their decision to hand him over to the Indian authorities.

A police team from Haryana travelled to Cambodia and successfully repatriated Dhilla on Tuesday. The CBI, acting as India’s National Central Bureau for Interpol, facilitated the process through its BHARATPOL platform, which connects law enforcement agencies across the country. Over the past few years, more than 100 fugitives have been returned to India through similar international coordination efforts, according to the CBI.

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