Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Haryana Gangster Built Cambodia Empire After Parole Escape
Mainpal Badli was serving a life sentence in an Indian prison.
In 2018, he was allowed to leave temporarily but did not come back.
Police say he used a false name and passport to leave India.
He travelled through Thailand and then moved to Cambodia.
There, he bought a house and started a disco and a restaurant.
He also had three children while living there.
Police records connect him to many serious criminal cases, although reports differ on the exact number.
He was eventually arrested after his identity was discovered while he was renewing his Cambodian visa.
Mainpal Badli, serving a life sentence for murder, left Haryana prison on six-week parole in July 2018 and did not return.
Police say he used a passport issued under the alias Sonu Kumar and a fake Gurugram address to leave India.
He travelled from Kolkata to Bangkok in July 2019 before settling in Cambodia, according to his statement.
In Cambodia, he bought a home, had three children, and opened the Kontiai disco and Angkor restaurant.
He was arrested after Cambodia extradited him to India, following the discovery of his identity during a July 2025 visa-renewal attempt.
- Who
- Mainpal Badli, also known as Dhilla, a Haryana criminal serving a life sentence for murder.
- What
- He allegedly escaped during parole using a fake passport, lived and ran businesses in Cambodia, and was later extradited and arrested.
- When
- He left prison on July 17, 2018; travelled to Bangkok on July 7, 2019; and was identified during a July 2025 visa-renewal attempt.
- Where
- He was imprisoned in Haryana, departed from Kolkata, travelled through Thailand, and settled in Cambodia.
- Why
- He failed to return from parole and allegedly used a false identity to evade arrest and establish a life abroad.
- Prison sentence
- Life imprisonment for murder at Hisar Central Jail
- Parole date
- July 17, 2018
- Required surrender date
- August 29, 2018
- Reward announced
- Rs 5 lakh for information leading to his arrest
- False identity
- Sonu Kumar, with a claimed Gurugram address
- Cambodian businesses
- Kontiai disco and Angkor restaurant
- Family in Cambodia
- Three children: Bahubali, Bhagat Kumar and Aastha
- Arrest operation
- Extradition from Cambodia coordinated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, state police and Union ministries