Who is Mainpal Badli, alias ‘Dheela’? Haryana’s most wanted gangster deported from Cambodia after 7 years on run

The most wanted gangster of Haryana, who jumped parole and began a new life as owner of a discotheque in Cambodia after getting sentenced to life terms in three murder cases, was landed in jail again after seven years. The gangster identified as Mainpal Badli, alias ‘Dheela’, was escorted to the custody of the special task force (STF) on Tuesday after being deported to India from Siem Reap.

Overall, 22 cases have been registered against Badli in connection with murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and criminal intimidation. He was granted six weeks’ parole in July 2018 while he was lodged in Hisar Central Jail. Then, after, he never turned himself in and managed to escape to Bangkok from Kolkata on July 7, 2019, on a fake passport along with Rs 1.1 crore in cash.

“Badli fraudulently acquired an Indian passport (no. T3218793) in the name of Sonu Kumar, son of Ranvir Singh, resident of H. No. 898, Sector-18, Sarhol village, Gurgaon,” IGP (STF) Satheesh Balan said on Wednesday, TOI reported.

Later, the investigators disclosed that there was such a person existing as Sonu Kumar and the Gurgaon address on the passport was also found to be fake. Officials added that after reaching Bangkok, Badli went to Mauritius and Indonesia, then finally settled in Siem Reap by the name ‘Sonu Kumar’. Shockingly, while Badli was in a live-in relationship, he became a father to three children.

“He stayed away from criminal activities there and opened adisco, which he operated with his partner’s help. The woman was unaware of his criminal past and original identity till he was detained,” TOI quoted IGP as saying. Police further disclosed that Badli managed to learn the local language of Cambodia and had applied for citizenship, too.

“Interpol and other concerned agencies were used to then share information with Cambodian law enforcement about the presence of the fugitive in Siem Reap. The STF team, led by SP Waseem Akram, established Badli’s identity, and he was detained there by local agencies around 45 days ago,” the IGP said.

How the gangster journey of Mainpal Badli begins

Before entering the world of crime in 2007, Badli worked as a tractor mechanic in the Jhajjar district of Haryana until he reportedly killed his uncle over a dispute. By the same year, he was charged with two more murders. After he was put behind bars, Badli was eventually convicted and awarded life imprisonment in all three murder cases in 2010.

The gangster, who had been lodged in Bhondsi district jail in Gurgaon in 2014, allegedly murdered a rival during his time there. According to Balan, Haryana Police later gathered intelligence indicating that the proclaimed offender was residing in Cambodia and leading a lavish lifestyle.