Haryana's most wanted criminal repatriated from Cambodia

New Delhi/Gurugram, Sep 3 (PIT) A notorious criminal wanted by Haryana Police, Mainpal Dhilla, was extradited from Cambodia in an operation coordinated by the CBI in collaboration with the state police, Union home ministry and external affairs ministry, officials said on Wednesday.

Dhilla, who also goes by the alias of Maipal Badli and Sonu Kumar, has several serious cases, including that of murder, registered against him and was serving life term. He is also accused of committing a murder while in jail. He was released on parole on July 17, 2018, after which he escaped abroad on a fake identity.

On a request from Haryana Police, the CBI got a Red Notice published against Dhilla through Interpol on November 6, 2024 and contacted NCB Bangkok, which revealed that he had travelled from Thailand to Cambodia.

The CBI immediately contacted NCB-Phnom Penh and informed the authorities that the wanted criminal was travelling on a fraudulent travel document in the name of Sonu Kumar, officials said.

"A request for provisional arrest was sent to NCB-Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through Interpol channels on March 26, 2025. 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.

Later, a team of Haryana Police went to Cambodia and brought back Dhilla on Tuesday, they said.

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

While, he was undergoing sentence in jail, he was released on six weeks' parole from Hisar Central Jail, but he did not report back to jail and absconded. PTI ABS COR ABS MNK MNK