Wanted Fugitive Mainpal Dhilla Extradited From Cambodia, Arrested

Mainpal Dhilla, a notorious criminal wanted by the Haryana Police, was arrested after he was extradited from Cambodia in an operation coordinated by the CBI in collaboration with the state police and the Union ministries of home and external affairs, officials said on Wednesday.

Mainpal Dhilla alias Maipal Badli is a resident of Badli village in Jhajjar district and has 22 cases, including that of murder, registered against him. He was serving a life term in a Hisar jail after being convicted in three cases lodged in 2007 and 2010, the officials said.

He is also accused of killing a person while in jail. He was released on parole on July 17, 2018 and fled the country on August 29, 2018, using a fake identity in the name of Sonu Kumar, the officials added.

On a request from the state police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) got a Red Notice issued against Dhilla through the Interpol on November 6, 2024 and contacted the NCB-Bangkok, which revealed that he had travelled from Thailand to Cambodia.

The accused travelled to Cambodia from Kolkata via Bangkok, the officials said.

The CBI immediately contacted the NCB-Phnom Penh and informed the authorities that the wanted criminal was travelling on fraudulent travel documents.

Dhilla had set up a base in the Siem Reap area of Cambodia. He was running a nightclub, got married to a local woman and had three children with her.

"A request for provisional arrest was sent to the NCB-Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through Interpol channels on March 26, 2025. The NCB-Phnom Penh, on July 24, 2025, conveyed the arrest of the subject and requested for Extradition Request through diplomatic channels. Cambodian authorities later intimated that they had decided to hand over the subject to Indian authorities," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

Subsequently, a team of the Haryana Special Task Force (STF), led by IPS officer Wasim Akhtar, was sent to Cambodia. The team that included Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Madan Singh and Sub-Inspector (SI) Sandeep Kumar brought Dhilla back on Tuesday, the officials said.

As soon as he reached the Delhi airport, the STF formally arrested him. "We are questioning the accused," STF Inspector General B Satheesh Balan said.

Dhilla was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the offences of murder, attempt to murder, illegal use of firearms and criminal conspiracy on April 29, 2013 in a case lodged in Bahadurgarh. He was also previously convicted in two more cases.

While he was undergoing the life sentence, he was released on six weeks' parole from the Hisar Central Jail, but went on the run.

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