Haryana convict Mainpal Dhilla gets 12-hour parole to marry Cambodian partner

A Haryana man serving a life sentence has been allowed out of jail for 12 hours to marry the Cambodian woman he met after fleeing India while on parole.

Mainpal Dhilla, a resident of Badli in Jhajjar district, was granted custody parole from 8 am to 8 pm on Thursday for his wedding to Meta Chan. The ceremony is being held at a farmhouse near the jail, after which Dhilla will be taken back into custody.

The wedding is being conducted under tight police security. Reports said the ceremony is taking place at Dulina Farm on the Jhajjar-Gurugram road, close to the jail. Police personnel have been deployed for Dhilla’s transit and at the venue.

Who is Meta Chan?

The bride, Meta Chan, is a Cambodian national whom Dhilla met after escaping from India.

Dhilla was released on a six-week parole in July 2018 while serving his sentence. He failed to return to jail and fled India the following month using a fake identity, Sonu Kumar. He eventually reached Cambodia, where he changed his identity and began a new life.

Dhilla and Chan subsequently started living together in Cambodia and have four children. Chan has travelled to India for the wedding with three of their children, while their fourth child has remained in Cambodia.

Reports have said Dhilla lived in Siem Reap and started a business there. Investigators later traced his presence in Cambodia after receiving information about his identity and background.

How Dhilla was brought back to India

Dhilla has 22 cases registered against him, including murder. He was serving a life term in a Hisar jail after being convicted in three cases filed in 2007 and 2010. He was also accused of killing another person while in jail.

His criminal record includes convictions for murder, attempt to murder, illegal possession of firearms and criminal conspiracy. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a case registered at Sadar Bahadurgarh police station in 2007 and was subsequently convicted in two other cases.

After he failed to return from parole in 2018, authorities began efforts to locate him abroad. At the request of the Haryana Police, the CBI facilitated an Interpol Red Notice against Dhilla on November 6, 2024.

The CBI subsequently worked with the National Central Bureau in Bangkok and authorities in Cambodia to trace him. Cambodian authorities arrested him on July 24, 2025, following an extradition request through diplomatic channels.

A team of Haryana Police then travelled to Cambodia and brought Dhilla back to India on September 2, 2025. He was taken into custody after his extradition and has remained in jail since then.

Why he has been allowed out of jail

Dhilla’s present release is a custody parole specifically for his wedding. Unlike his 2018 parole, when he failed to return and fled abroad, he is required to remain under police supervision and return to jail when the 12-hour period ends.

According to reports, the Jhajjar CIA and CP Special Staff are involved in his security and transit, with armed personnel deployed alongside additional police staff at the wedding venue.

Dhilla was brought out of custody at 8 am and is required to return by 8 pm after completing the wedding ceremonies.