Odisha drug kingpin Manoj Khillo arrested in Koraput after absconding on parole

NEW DELHI: A drug trafficker who allegedly supplied narcotics from the Andhra–Odisha border to the national capital has been arrested in Koraput, Odisha. The accused had been absconding after securing parole on the pretext of his mother’s cancer treatment.

The accused, identified as Manoj Khillo, had been declared a proclaimed offender by a court and carried a reward of ₹50,000 for information leading to his arrest.


According to police, Khillo frequently changed his identity and used multiple aliases while dealing with suppliers and associates to avoid detection. Investigators said this tactic ensured that even if his accomplices were apprehended, they would be unable to reveal his real identity. He also allegedly exploited jurisdictional challenges by frequently moving across the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh border, making it difficult for police teams to track and apprehend him.

The arrest was made by a team led by inspector Shiv Kumar. Police said they had received inputs that Khillo continued to be involved in the supply of narcotic drugs from Odisha to various parts of the country, including Delhi-NCR. Based on this information, secret surveillance was mounted on Khillo and other members of his alleged crime syndicate. Multiple teams were deployed across different parts of Odisha to trace his movements.

After more than three months of sustained efforts, the Special Cell received specific input about Khillo’s presence in his native village in Koraput district. A team was subsequently dispatched to Koraput, where he was apprehended on February 13 at around 5.20 pm.

Khillo was produced before a local court in Koraput and later brought to Delhi on a four-day transit remand.

Police described Khillo as the alleged kingpin of an inter-state narcotics cartel. He had been absconding in a case registered under the NDPS Act in Delhi and was declared a proclaimed offender in the matter. He is reportedly involved in more than six criminal cases under the Arms Act, NDPS Act, Excise Act, and for criminal intimidation in Delhi and Odisha.

In September 2025, Khillo was granted 21 days’ interim bail by the Orissa High Court on the grounds of his mother’s medical treatment. However, after the completion of the interim bail period, he allegedly failed to surrender at Koraput jail and went underground again. Non-bailable warrants were subsequently issued against him in two cases after he jumped bail.

In the NDPS case, police alleged that Khillo had dispatched a consignment of 46 kg of marijuana in a car driven by two Delhi residents, Chander Shekhar and Jitender Kumar, for delivery in the capital. Both were apprehended in Delhi in 2022, and the contraband was recovered from them along with a Honda City car allegedly used for transportation. During interrogation, the two accused allegedly disclosed that the recovered marijuana had been supplied by Khillo, a resident of Koraput, with instructions to deliver it to a contact in Delhi. **