A police team carrying Pillai landed at international airport at around 10 PM in a flight from Singapore, a senior police officer said.
He had been taken into custody in Singapore after a Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued against him by Interpol.
A police officer said that local cops mainly relied on a set of Pillai's finger prints, taken nearly 26 years ago, while preparing dossiers seeking his extradition.
The gangster has several cases against him in Mumbai, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion etc.
Eastern suburbs of Vikhroli and Bhandup were used to be his strongholds where he started his criminal career and subsequently graduated into a dreaded gangster who used to extort money from builders in the suburbs.
Sources said the crime branch officials strongly believed that Pillai had had links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).