T

he Indonesian police have been liaising with Indian authorities following the recent arrest of murder suspect Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, who has been implicated in 15 to 20 murder cases in his home country.

'€œWe have coordinated with the Indian consulate general in Bali. We'€™re still waiting for the Indian police to pick him up,'€ Bali Police spokesperson, Sr. Comr. Hery Wiyanto said on Tuesday

Hery said that Nikalje was currently in Bali Police custody while awaiting deportation.

He said Nikalje, 56, was arrested on Sunday as the fugitive, who has been on the run for 20 years, arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport from Sydney, Australia, on a Garuda flight.

Popularly known as '€œChotta Rajan'€, Nikalje is accused of involvement in more than 20 murders and a string of other crimes. The arrest warrant against him was issued in India on Oct. 12, 1994, and on July 9, 1995, Interpol issued Red Notice No. A-360/7-1995.

'€œWe arrested Nikalje based on information from Interpol in Canberra that an Indian fugitive had departed to Bali. He has been on the run for around 20 years for crimes committed in India,'€ Hery said on Tuesday.

It is believed that Nikalje had visited many countries, including Zimbabwe, before settling in Australia for the past seven years.

'€œHe came to Bali for a 15-day holiday,'€ said General Crime chief of Denpasar Police, Comr. Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan.

When he was arrested, Nikalje was using a reportedly fake Indian passport issued in the name of Kumar Mohan.

'€œUp to last night, he was still denying that he was a fugitive from India and said that Kumar Mohan was his real name. Based on the Interpol red notice and his face, we feel sure that he is Nikalje,'€ Reinhard said.

In its statement, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed that Canberra Interpol had alerted Indonesian authorities about Nikalje.

The statement said that in September 2015, the AFP confirmed that Nikalje was residing in Australia under another identity and subsequently advised Indian authorities and the Interpol Secretariat General. As a red notice is not an arrest warrant under Australian law, he could not be arrested in Australia.

'€œAustralian authorities were in discussions with Indian authorities in relation to Mr. Nikalje, however, it would not be appropriate to provide further details,'€ the AFP said in the statement.

The arrest of the Indian fugitive is one of several arrests of Interpol fugitives during their holidays in Bali.

In July, a Chinese national, Huang Yiping, was arrested at Ngurah Rai when he tried to leave the island. Huang had been declared a Chinese Interpol fugitive for crimes he allegedly committed in his country. He was deported soon after the arrest.

Also in July, police arrested US fugitive VonTrey Jamal Clark, 33. Clark is a former Texas police officer who is accused of having murdered his fiancé. He was arrested at Pondok Bali Villa in Canggu, Kuta, where he was staying on holiday.

Clark was deported to the US in the company of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in September to face trial in Texas.