Gurugram encounter puts spotlight back on rapper-turned-gangster Deepak Nandal

Gurugram, Jul 11 (PTI) A fierce late-night police operation at the upscale Sushant Lok locality here that left four criminals dead and another injured has brought gangster Deepak Nandal, once a well-known figure in the Haryanvi music industry, and his international extortion syndicate back in the news. The encounter, in which more than 60 rounds were fired, took place at Sushant Lok A Block late Thursday, in which four alleged shooters of Nandal gang were shot dead, one received bullet injuries, while three policemen were hit in the exchange of fire. The five members of Deepak Nandal gang had allegedly held Vishal Beri, a property dealer and son of the founder of SGT University, hostage at his residence. When police appealed to them to surrender, they opened fire. In the ensuing gunfight, four shooters were killed, and one was injured, while Beri was rescued safely, police said. Nandal, once a known face in the Haryanvi music industry as a producer and rapper, has been linked to several crimes such as extortion, murder, kidnapping and ransom demands in Delhi and Haryana. A wanted criminal, Nandal operates an international extortion racket from overseas and recruits young people via social media. Though police did not specify the country, he is believed to be active in the UAE, the UK and Canada. Before taking to crime, Nandal worked on several popular songs alongside Haryanvi singer Rahul Fazilpuria and rapper Badshah, including ‘Haryana Roadways’ sung by Badshah and Fazilpuria, and ‘Kar Gayi Chull’, a remake version of which was used in the 2016 film ‘Kapur & Sons’. Fazilpuria survived multiple attacks, including a targeted assassination plot in Gurugram in July 2025, when assailants fired at his car on the Southern Peripheral Road in Sector 71, though he managed to escape unhurt. A post went viral after the attack, in which gangster Sunil Sardhania, Nandal and Indrajit Yadav claimed responsibility for the shooting, alleging that the singer took Rs 5 crore from Nandal which he failed to return. In August 2025, Rohit Shaukeen, an associate of Fazilpuria, was shot dead in broad daylight in Gurugram, with Nandal claiming responsibility for the murder. In May this year, Nandal’s shooters opened fire at the residence of Saurabh Yadav, Fazilpuria's event manager, at Kanhai village in Gurugram, according to police. Nandal, whose rise in the underworld was rapid, initially gained notoriety for local disputes and smuggling of illegal weapons. It took him little time to take to extortion and contract killing, earning him a place in the wanted list of Rohtak and Sonipat police. With the Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana Police also on his trail, Nandal hatched a plan to leave the country and managed to flee in 2023. Since then, Nandal has been operating his extortion network from abroad, with police back home engaged in the legal process of issuing a Red Corner notice against the gangster to have him deported from his foreign hideout. According to police, Nandal is active on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, through which he connects with young people to recruit them into his gang. He also uses WhatsApp and Signal to run his illegal operations, and promptly claims responsibility for the shootouts he orchestrates on social media. Many prominent figures across Delhi-NCR, including builders, businessmen, fashion designers and singers, have been his target in recent times. PTI COR ARI